Haaland has made his decision ahead of Norway's match against England in the 2026 World Cup.
Erling Haaland, Norway's national team striker, has decided to place the pressure on England, saying they should be considered one of the favorites to win the 2026 World Cup and should be confident of beating Norway in the quarterfinal on Saturday, 11 July at 04:00 GMT+7.
Haaland is one of the standout players in this tournament and is contending for the World Cup Golden Boot with 7 goals, just one behind Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, who have scored 8 goals each.
Although Norway has performed impressively in the World Cup, Haaland still insists that England should be regarded as a favorite to win the title.
“I think there are several favorites. England is one of them. I believe everyone should put as much pressure as possible on the English players.”
When asked about Norway’s chances of winning the World Cup, Haaland replied, “It’s still very slim.”
Speaking about Norway’s journey to the quarterfinals, he said, “I really did not expect it. I’ve said it many times, even before the game against Brazil, I didn’t expect it and I didn’t expect us to be in the World Cup quarterfinals. It’s quite surprising even for me.”
“I’m happy about many things. First of all, playing in the World Cup is a great honor and an important goal in my career.”
“Being here and playing on the biggest stage with my Norwegian teammates against the best teams in the world is very special.”
“Playing against Brazil was incredible for us Norwegians, and beating Brazil to reach the World Cup quarterfinals against England in the United States is very special.”
“I think if you look at the atmosphere in Norway, you will see that this is not normal for Norway at all.”