Norway begin a new chapter in the UEFA Nations League when Scandinavian rivals Denmark visit Ullevaal Stadion on Thursday evening.

Ståle Solbakken’s side are competing in League A for the first time after earning promotion in the previous edition, and their reward is a formidable Group A4 containing defending champions Portugal, Denmark and Wales. Norway’s first appearance since reaching the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup therefore offers little opportunity for a gentle return to competitive action.

Denmark arrive in Oslo from a rather different starting point. Brian Riemer’s team missed out on the World Cup but have considerably more experience at this level of the Nations League, and their historical record against their neighbours is impressive.

Norway return home after memorable World Cup run

Norway’s World Cup may have ended with a narrow 2-1 quarter-final defeat to England, but their performances in North America reinforced the sense that this is a national team capable of competing with Europe’s strongest sides.

Victories over Ivory Coast and Brazil in the knockout rounds carried Norway into the last eight, and attention now turns towards establishing themselves in the top tier of the Nations League.

Norway earned their promotion by winning a 2024-25 League B group containing Austria, Slovenia and Kazakhstan, collecting 13 points from six matches. It continued an impressive overall record in the competition: Norway have won 14 of their 24 Nations League fixtures and lost only six.

The step up is considerable. Portugal are the defending Nations League champions, while Denmark are established League A competitors and Wales complete a group in which there are unlikely to be many straightforward evenings. Norway start with two matches at Ullevaal, facing Denmark on Thursday and Portugal on Sunday, before travelling to Wales and Portugal at the beginning of October. The NFF confirms Thursday’s match kicks off at 20:45 Norwegian time, or 19:45 UK time.

Solbakken does have one significant attacking absence. Alexander Sørloth is unavailable through injury, removing one of Norway’s most physical options in the final third.

Fortunately for the hosts, their principal attacking threat is very much available. Erling Haaland enters the match with an extraordinary 62 goals from 55 appearances for Norway. His combination with Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard remains fundamental to the team’s attacking game, while Oscar Bobb and Antonio Nusa give Solbakken pace and creativity around his centre-forward.

Sander Berge should provide greater physical security in midfield, while Julian Ryerson offers energy from full-back. Norway’s 25-man squad also includes four players who were not in the World Cup group: Odin Bjørtuft, Fredrik Sjøvold, Ole Didrik Blomberg and Erik Botheim.

Norway’s development over the last couple of years means Denmark will be facing something considerably more dangerous than a team simply reliant upon Haaland. The Manchester City striker remains the obvious focal point, but the supporting cast has developed sufficiently for opponents to have several problems to solve.

Denmark have experience – and history – on their side Where Norway are entering unfamiliar territory, Denmark know League A extremely well. The Danes have competed at the highest Nations League level in each of the previous three editions and reached the quarter-finals in 2024-25. Their absence from the 2026 World Cup was a major disappointment, however, given the depth and experience available to Brian Riemer.

Their most recent matches came in June, when Denmark were held to a goalless draw by DR Congo before beating Ukraine 2-1. Now the competitive programme begins in earnest, with Wales visiting Denmark on Sunday before October brings matches against Portugal and Wales.

Riemer still has a recognisable core of experienced internationals. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Morten Hjulmand offer strength in midfield, while Rasmus Højlund is expected to lead the attack. Patrick Dorgu provides another dynamic option down the left.

There has also been an important development in defence. Contrary to earlier reports suggesting Andreas Christensen would miss the match after suffering a thigh problem with Barcelona, the latest team news has the centre-back available and in contention to start.

There is more uncertainty in goal following Kasper Schmeichel’s international retirement. West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen is among those competing to establish himself as Denmark’s new first choice and could be handed the responsibility in Oslo.

Denmark can also draw confidence from an extraordinary historical advantage in this fixture. The countries have met 86 times, with Denmark winning 52 to Norway’s 22, alongside 12 draws. More relevant to the current generation is that Norway have managed only one victory over Denmark since the beginning of the century.

Yet history only goes so far. This Norway team arrives at the fixture with greater attacking firepower than many of its predecessors, and Denmark will have to control the spaces around Ødegaard as well as Haaland himself. Allowing Norway’s captain time between the lines could quickly turn into opportunities for the striker ahead of him.

Verdict

This looks like an excellent early test of whether Norway’s impressive progress can translate immediately to League A. Denmark have the greater experience at this level and an outstanding historical record against their neighbours. They also possess enough midfield quality to prevent Norway from simply controlling proceedings at Ullevaal.

Norway, though, have developed into a genuinely dangerous attacking side. Their World Cup run provided further evidence of that, and home advantage combined with Haaland, Ødegaard, Bobb and Nusa gives Solbakken options that Denmark will find difficult to contain for 90 minutes.

Sørloth’s absence is significant, but Norway should still create opportunities. In what could be a tight Scandinavian derby, their attacking quality gives them a reasonable route to opening their first League A campaign with three points.

Tip: Norway to win