Brazil vs Norway | FIFA World Cup 2026 — Round of 16 | Preview and Prediction

This Round of 16 fixture of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will see two top teams vying for a place in the next round, as Brazil will face a feisty Norway side on July 6 at New York New Jersey Stadium in the US.

For the game, here we present our preview and prediction.

FIFA WC26 | Ro16: BRA vs NOR | 01:30 IST, July 6, 2026

While Brazil have won the World Cup multiple times, this is the first time Norway have reached the knockout stage of a men’s World Cup. This is already a great achievement for the Vikings, but now they have to beat one of the title contenders to progress to the quarter-finals.

Brazil defeated Japan in the round of 32, recovering from a 1–0 deficit through a Casemiro equaliser a few minutes before the hour mark before Gabriel Martinelli came off the bench to score the winner in stoppage time to evoke massive celebrations among the Seleção fans.

Brazil will have to watch out and avoid being too lax, as they hardly produced chances in the first half. There was a lack of urgency until they went behind. Coach Carlo Ancelotti made the right substitutions, however, bringing on Martinelli and Danilo late in the second half, and it had the desired effect. The team also seem to be over-reliant on Vinícius Júnior and Matheus Cunha in attack, which means other players need to step up if they want to go all the way.

Norway, meanwhile, defeated Côte d’Ivoire to reach the last 16. The Éléphants boasted a lot of big names but failed to overcome a side they were expected to beat. Antonio Nusa opened the scoring for the Norwegians in the first half, and Amad Diallo equalised for the Ivorians, but Norway’s lethal marksman Erling Haaland had the last word with an 86th-minute winner. Norway were the better team and had more possession, more big chances, and a higher cumulative xG.

Ivory Coast will be very disappointed with their effort, as on paper they were the stronger team. That said, returning to the men’s World Cup stage after 28 years, this is proving to be an exceptional tournament for Norway.

In terms of player availability, Brazil will miss two key players in Raphinha and Lucas Paquetá, both of whom are out with hamstring injuries, while Norway will miss Julian Ryerson due to a thigh injury.

Although Brazil haven’t really shown the Jogo Bonito, they’ve been solid in defence and clinical in attack. Their only concern is a one-dimensional midfield. Bruno Guimarães has been excellent, having registered four assists so far, but their midfield doesn’t create many chances as a unit and lacks an out-and-out attacking midfielder. As for Norway, their concern isn’t attack but defence, as they have conceded a goal in every game so far; it will be difficult to outscore a side like Brazil, whose defence has been solid and almost impenetrable.

This could be a great end-to-end encounter, as both teams like to play attacking football — even when they struggle to do so — but we feel Brazil hold the edge here due to their big-stage experience and better defence.

Score Prediction: Brazil 2–1 Norway
Venue: New York New Jersey Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA