The November international break is upon us folks and there are some intriguing World Cup 2026 qualification stories to follow; and the SBOTOP pick of the week sees Italy and Norway come face to face at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium next Sunday.
The two nations sit in the top two of Group I, the Azzurri trailing the Norwegians by three points, with two games to play. They are in action on Thursday, facing the bottom two, Moldova and Estonia, and if Stale Solbakken’s men can beat the Estonians they will be almost there, with a better goal difference than Italy.
Both Italy and Norway are guaranteed a play-of place but neither will be happy with that, particularly Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy, who have missed the last two World Cup finals, failing to get through the play-offs on both occasions.
And the four times World Cup winners are in serious danger of facing that ordeal again.
Italy couldn’t have got off to a worse start in qualifying, losing 3-0 away to Norway, who were always going to be the Azzurri’s biggest rivals, though Solbakken’s side sit 20 places below Italy in the FIFA World Rankings, at 29th to ninth.
So the tension is rising in Italy and it could reach fever pitch in Milan next Sunday.
The Azzurri recovered from that opening loss, winning their next five matches, but then Norway’s World Cup 2026 results have been faultless, six from six and they are nearer the finish line.
Italy are captained by Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and the defence will be marshalled by Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni; but the Azzurri needs goals and Gattuso’s hoped will be resting on his creative unit, and he will unleash his most dangerous players over the next, crucial, 180 minutes of football. A midfield with Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli alongside Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali will look to supply a strike force which has not been terribly prolific. The responsibility for goals may rest on the shoulders of Fiorentina’s Moise Kean and Atleticoi Madrid star Giacomo Raspadori who have 11 goals each for their country.
Of course Norway have the most prolific striker in the Premier League in their ranks, in Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland who has piled up 51 goals in 46 internationals and he may sit alongside Atletico’s Alexander Sorloth who has scored 24 in 66. And at the back they have Genoa centre back Leo Skiri Ostegaard at centre half and Borussia Dortmund wingback Julian Ryerson.
There is plenty of top flight quality in both sides, but one encouraging note for the Azzurri is that Norway were unimpressive in a 1-1 draw with New Zealand in October, so they may have lost a little of their momentum.
France and Switzerland on the brink
The World Cup 2026 betting odds have picked out France as one of Europe’s biggest hopes, alongside Spain, England and Germany. Les Bleus can book their place at the finals in Canada, Mexico and the USA if they beat Ukraine in a clash of the top two in Group D at the Parc des Princes on Thursday; and then avoid defeat to the minnows of Azerbaijan on Sunday. Ukraine have a difficult match against Iceland to finish off and it’s hard to see how France, currently three points clear, can fall short.
The red hot Kylian Mbappe will lead the French, and he’ll be in the mood to take out his frustration on someone after he flopped when Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League last week. With a supporting strike force picked from Hugo Ekitike, Michael Olise, Chrstpher Nkunku and Randal Kolo Muani this is a team full of goals, and I expect them to book their spot in the finals next week.
In Group B Switzerland are three points clear of Kosovo and, on Saturday, they host Sweden who, strangely, are stranded at the bottom with just a single point. With Inter Milan’s Manuel Akanji in defence and Sunderland midfielder Granti Xhaka patrolling the centre the Swiss are a team devilishly hard to break down and I suspect it will be curtains for the sorry Swedes, as Switzerland make their way to the finals; either on Saturday, or when they head to Kosovo a week on Tuesday.
And there’s an intriguing situation unfolding in Group C where Denmark, the expected qualifiers, are locked on ten points along with the surprise package from Scotland. On Saturday Denmark host Belarus while Scotland have a tough assignment away to Greece so I’d say it’s still advantage to the Danes.
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