Two group runners-up with sharply different identities collide at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday to get the World Cup 2026 round of 32 underway, with kickoff in Arlington set for 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM MT / 11:00 AM PT.
The clash of styles is what makes this one worth watching. Ivory Coast booked their spot as Group E runners-up by keeping things buttoned up at the back, shipping only two goals across their three World Cup 2026 group matches and posting two clean sheets along the way. Norway, by contrast, arrived from Group I as the tournament’s box-office act — eight goals scored, seven conceded, and a sobering 4-1 loss to France that told you plenty about both ends of the pitch.
That mix sets up a genuinely open tie. bet365 price Norway as the slight pick at +100 in the 90-minute market, a number that owes plenty to Erling Braut Haaland, and the Norwegians rank higher on the World Cup 2026 outright odds board. Yet it is Ivory Coast who hold the stronger defensive profile here — and in a one-off knockout, that counts for a lot.
Ivory Coast vs Norway: Best Bets & Predictions
Our card tilts toward Norway’s attacking edge while still respecting the threat of an open, end-to-end night. Haaland headlines the slate, and goals at both ends run through it as the recurring theme.
| Our Prediction | Odds & Sportsbook | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norway to Win | +100 @ bet365 (50.0%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Eight group-stage goals and the most explosive attack left in this half of the draw. Even money on the side with the higher ceiling, and the clearest match-winner on the pitch, is fair value. |
| Erling Braut Haaland to score anytime | -138 @ bet365 (58.0%) | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Four goals already and the shortest-priced scorer on the board. If Norway tip numbers forward, Ivory Coast’s back five gets stretched and Haaland is the one who profits. |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -111 @ bet365 (52.6%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Norway have lived at both ends all tournament, scoring eight and conceding seven. The Over has landed in two of their three matches. |
| Both Teams to Score: Yes | -134 @ bet365 (57.3%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Norway’s soft back line hands Ivory Coast a way through, and the Norwegians have scored in every game so far. Both teams finding the net reads as the percentage play. |
| Correct Score: Norway 2-1 | +850 @ bet365 (10.5%) | ⭐⭐ | One line that wraps the Norway win, the Over and both-teams-to-score together — a slim Norwegian edge in a tie their attack should just about shade. |
The plan, in short: back Norway to nick it at +100, build around Haaland anytime, and lean on Norway 2-1 as the scoreline that pulls the win, the Over and both-teams-to-score into a single bet.
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please play responsibly.
World Cup Form & Route to the Round of 32
Both nations landed here level on six points, each banking two wins and one defeat, but the route there could hardly have been more different. Ivory Coast travelled the tidier path — a 1-0 win over Ecuador, a narrow 2-1 loss to Germany, and a measured 2-0 win over Curaçao to lock up second in Group E. Norway’s run was the noisier one: a 4-1 hammering of Iraq, a 3-2 win over Senegal, and that 1-4 loss to France to round off Group I in second.
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory Coast (2nd, Group E) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 |
| Norway (2nd, Group I) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 |
Potential Match-Winners
- Erling Braut Haaland (Norway): Four goals in the bag and the obvious hub of this Norway side. He started among the substitutes against France, but in a knockout he is the player the whole plan funnels through — and the shortest-priced scorer at -138.
- Jørgen Strand Larsen (Norway): Partners Haaland up top and brings a second aerial threat into the box, priced at +175 to score anytime.
- Nicolas Pépé (Ivory Coast): Ivory Coast’s leading scorer on two goals and their likeliest source of a moment on the break. Available at +375 anytime.
- Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast): Pace and an end product down the right, and one of the outlets Ivory Coast will use to flip defence into attack. Priced at +275 to find the net.
Recent Form
Ivory Coast: W L W
- Jun 25, 2026: Curaçao 0-2 Ivory Coast (W), Lincoln Financial Field
- Jun 20, 2026: Germany 2-1 Ivory Coast (L), BMO Field
- Jun 15, 2026: Ivory Coast 1-0 Ecuador (W), Lincoln Financial Field
Two wins, two clean sheets in three, and the lone setback a tight loss to Germany. The 2-0 win over Curaçao was the blueprint: 1.55 xG, 63.3% of the ball, and just five shots conceded from inside the box. Nicolas Pépé tops the scoring on two, with Amad Diallo and Franck Kessie also among the goals.
Norway: W W L
- Jun 26, 2026: Norway 1-4 France (L), Gillette Stadium
- Jun 23, 2026: Norway 3-2 Senegal (W), MetLife Stadium
- Jun 16, 2026: Iraq 1-4 Norway (W), Gillette Stadium
Free-scoring but leaky. That 1-4 loss to France was the red flag: Norway mustered 1.88 xG and 10 shots of their own, yet handed over 10 shots from inside their own box. Haaland owns four of Norway’s goals, with Marcus Pedersen, Leo Østigård and Thelonious Aasgaard also on the sheet. Against an Ivory Coast back five, the defensive half of that profile is the real question mark.
Ivory Coast vs Norway Prediction
This shapes up tighter than the market headline lets on, but Norway’s ceiling — and Haaland — is tough to look past. Our call is Norway to win at +100 with bet365, with Haaland anytime and Over 2.5 as the supporting plays and a 2-1 Norway scoreline as the likely shape of the night. The bet365 review carries the current terms. Kickoff is 2:00 PM ET at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Ivory Coast’s defensive numbers mean this is no formality — but if anyone is going to unpick a disciplined back five, it is the man who has already found the net four times at these finals.
Odds correct at the time of writing. Please play responsibly.
Ivory Coast vs Norway kicks off at 2:00 PM ET / 1:00 PM CT / 12:00 PM MT / 11:00 AM PT on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
bet365 make Norway a narrow favourite at +100 to win in 90 minutes, with Erling Braut Haaland the standout goalscorer pick at -138. Ivory Coast’s defensive record, with only two goals conceded in the group stage, makes the tie tighter than the headline suggests.
We are backing Norway to win at +100, Over 2.5 Goals, both teams to score, and Erling Braut Haaland anytime, with a 2-1 Norway scoreline as the supporting play.
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