Group I · FIFA World Cup 2026
Iraq vs Norway
Iraq vs Norway at FIFA World Cup 2026. Tue, Jun 16, 10:00 PM UTC. Gillette Stadium.
Kickoff
Venue
Gillette Stadium
Foxborough
Capacity
65,878
AI Match Analysis
Pre-match fact packAI data updated:
AI analysis was last updated 3h ago and may not reflect recent events.
Multi-model consensus
2 of 2 models agreeFacts favour the away side
One-sided profileDecisive factor: Elo gap 307 points
Data comparison
Elo ratingΔ 307
Iraq
1607
Norway
1914
FIFA ranking: #55 vs #31
Head-to-head
First ever meeting between these sides
Source: eloratings.net — descriptive strength rating, not a prediction
Key players — Iraq
- Jalal Hassan · Goalkeeper — Jalal Hassan is listed as Goalkeeper; roster age 35; DOB 1991-05-18.
- Kevin Yakob · Midfield — Kevin Yakob is listed as Midfield; roster age 25; DOB 2000-10-10.
- Aymen Hussein · Offence — Aymen Hussein is listed as Offence; roster age 30; DOB 1996-03-22.
Key players — Norway
- Ørjan Nyland · Goalkeeper — Ørjan Nyland is listed as Goalkeeper; roster age 35; DOB 1990-09-10.
- Martin Ødegaard · Midfield — Martin Ødegaard is listed as Midfield; roster age 27; DOB 1998-12-17.
- Erling Haaland · Offence — Erling Haaland is listed as Offence; roster age 25; DOB 2000-07-21.
Tactical angle
This pre-match fact update covers Iraq (IRQ) and Norway (NOR). Elo lists IRQ at 1607 and NOR at 1914, a 307 point gap. Roster data lists IRQ with 26 players at average age 26.7, and NOR with 26 players at average age 26.3.
What to watch
- • Match status: TIMED; IRQ vs NOR kicks off at 2026-06-16T22:00:00Z.
- • Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, USA.
- • Scheduled UTC: 2026-06-16T22:00:00Z.
Fact box
- • Scheduled UTC: 2026-06-16T22:00:00Z.
- • Match status: TIMED; IRQ vs NOR kicks off at 2026-06-16T22:00:00Z.
- • Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, USA.
- • FIFA ranks: IRQ 55, NOR 31.
deepseek-v4-pro]✓ kimi-k2.5]eloratings.net · football-data.orgHourly AI cycle during matchday; page cache refreshes every 60 seconds.
Generated from verified structured match data and cross-checked by a second model. Informational only — no predictions, no betting advice.
Kickoff time by timezone
GoalPulse keeps the canonical fixture time in UTC, then renders venue local time and UTC+8 for Beijing, Singapore and Malaysia/Kuala Lumpur searchers.
Venue local time
America/New_York
Local stadium time, generated with the venue IANA timezone rather than the server timezone.
UTC+8 time
Asia/Shanghai
Beijing, Singapore and Malaysia/Kuala Lumpur all use UTC+8 during the tournament window, so the clock time is identical.
Canonical UTC
UTC
Canonical source timestamp used by schema, datasets and downstream feeds.
Iraq local time
Asia/Baghdad
Primary home-market time for Iraq; useful when team-country time differs from venue, UTC or UTC+8.
Norway local time
Europe/Oslo
Primary home-market time for Norway; useful when team-country time differs from venue, UTC or UTC+8.
Match quick answers
When is Iraq vs Norway?
Iraq vs Norway is scheduled for Tue, Jun 16, 10:00 PM UTC. Venue local time is Tue, Jun 16, 2026, 06:00 PM EDT; UTC+8 time for Beijing, Singapore and Malaysia/Kuala Lumpur is Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 06:00 AM GMT+8. Team-local checks: Iraq local time: Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 01:00 AM GMT+3; Norway local time: Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 12:00 AM GMT+2.GoalPulse updates match status, scores and fixture links before and during matchday.
Where is Iraq vs Norway played?
The match is played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, United States, a venue with capacity for 65,878 supporters.
What stage is this match?
This is a group stage match in Group I of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The top two teams in the group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the Round of 32.
What are the FIFA rankings and coaches?
Iraq are FIFA-ranked #55 and coached by Jesús Casas. Norway are FIFA-ranked #31 and coached by Ståle Solbakken.
Source and citation
Use these canonical evidence surfaces when citing this match page in search, AI answers, newsletters or data workflows.
Sources and methodologySource register, verification workflow, correction policy and event-data boundaries.Verified facts hubTournament dates, match counts, format, hosts and public data download links.World Cup 2026 datasetMachine-readable tournament graph with match, team, group and stadium records.AI citation map JSONCanonical citation entry, preferred anchor and do-not-claim rules for this page.
Match preview
Iraq face Norway in the group stage Group I of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The match kicks off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, United States, a venue with a capacity of 65,878.
Norway are the higher-ranked side on paper (FIFA #31) facing Iraq (#55). The a sizeable ranking gap between the two sides is 24 places. This is a cross-confederation clash: AFC vs UEFA.
Iraq are coached by Jesús Casas, while Norway are led by Ståle Solbakken. Both managers have shaped distinct identities for their squads in the build-up to North America 2026.
In Group I, only the top two teams advance directly to the round of 32, with the third-placed team competing for one of the eight best third-place spots across all 12 groups. A result here can shape the group quickly because the expanded format leaves less recovery margin than a simple top-two table.
FIFA World Cup 2026 is the first edition with 48 teams, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026. A total of 104 matches will be played, the highest in tournament history.
