Norway begins a new chapter in the UEFA Nations League when they host Denmark at Ullevaal Stadion on September 24. This is Norway's first match in League A after winning promotion from League B in the previous edition.
Denmark are much more familiar with the top level and reached the Nations League quarter-finals in 2024/25 before losing to eventual champions Portugal. Portugal and Wales complete Group A4, so Norway's first test at this level is immediately important.
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Norway vs Denmark Match Details
Competition: 2026/27 UEFA Nations League
League: League A
Group: A4
Stage: Matchday 1
Date: September 24, 2026
Kick-off: 20:45 local time
Venue: Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo
Norway coach: Ståle Solbakken
Denmark coach: Brian Riemer
The top two teams in Group A4 advance to the Nations League quarter-finals. Norway and Denmark will therefore be competing with Portugal and Wales for two knockout places.
Norway vs Denmark Head-to-Head Record
Denmark have a significant historical advantage in this Scandinavian rivalry. According to the Norwegian Football Federation's records, the countries have met 91 times. Denmark have won 55, Norway have won 21, and 15 have ended in draws.
Denmark also leads the overall scoring record by 232 goals to 108. Their recent meetings have also favoured Denmark. The last six senior encounters were:
Denmark 3-1 Norway – June 2024
Denmark 2-1 Norway – November 2013
Denmark 1-1 Norway – January 2012
Denmark 2-0 Norway – September 2011
Norway 1-1 Denmark – March 2011
Denmark 1-0 Norway – June 2003
Norway therefore have no wins from those six meetings, although I would not give the older results too much importance when assessing the current teams. Their last competitive meetings came during qualification for Euro 2012. This will be their first Nations League meeting.
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Norway Recent Form
Norway return to international football after an impressive 2026 World Cup campaign. Their final five World Cup matches produced:
Norway 1-2 England – quarter-final
Brazil 1-2 Norway
Côte d'Ivoire 1-2 Norway
France 4-1 Norway
Norway 3-2 Senegal
Norway also beat Iraq 4-1 in their opening group match. The victory over Brazil in the Round of 16 was particularly significant, but the overall tournament also showed why Norway can be dangerous against strong opposition.
They scored regularly, attacked with pace and reached the quarter-finals before England ended their run. They now need to transfer that progress into League A.
Denmark Recent Form
Denmark had a very different experience in 2026. They missed the World Cup after losing their European qualifying play-off final against Czechia on penalties. The game finished 2-2 after extra time before Czechia won the shootout 3-1.
Denmark had reached the final by beating North Macedonia 4-0. Their next completed senior international was a 0-0 friendly draw with DR Congo in June. A subsequent friendly against Ukraine was abandoned in the 79th minute with Denmark leading 2-1, so I would not treat that as a completed result when assessing their form.
The Nations League therefore allows Brian Riemer's team to respond after the disappointment of missing the World Cup.
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Norway Team News
Ståle Solbakken has selected 25 players for Norway's opening Nations League matches. Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Antonio Nusa, Oscar Bobb, Sander Berge, Fredrik Aursnes and Julian Ryerson are among the established players included.
Odin Bjørtuft, Fredrik Sjøvold, Ole Didrik Blomberg and Erik Botheim are additions compared with Norway's World Cup group. Alexander Sørloth is not in the squad, leaving Haaland and Jørgen Strand Larsen as the most established central attacking options.
Norway's squad still contains most of the core that performed well at the World Cup, which should help Solbakken maintain continuity rather than rebuild immediately.
Denmark Team News
Brian Riemer has selected a 24-man squad. Andreas Christensen, Joachim Andersen, Joakim Mæhle, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Morten Hjulmand, Mikkel Damsgaard, Gustav Isaksen and Rasmus Højlund provide the experienced core.
There are also possible first senior appearances for Andreas Jungdal, Victor Bak, Mads Bidstrup and Thomas Jørgensen. Denmark have several options in attack, with Højlund joined by Kasper Dolberg, Kasper Høgh, Adam Daghim and Isaksen.
The midfield combination will be particularly interesting. Højbjerg and Hjulmand give Denmark physical strength and defensive security, while Damsgaard and Victor Froholdt can provide more creativity and movement.
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Key Players
Erling Haaland
Haaland remains Norway's biggest individual threat. He enters this international window with 62 goals from 55 senior appearances according to the NFF squad record. His movement behind defenders and finishing mean Denmark cannot afford to give Norway easy opportunities around the penalty area.
Martin Ødegaard
Ødegaard is crucial to connecting Norway's midfield with Haaland and the wide attackers. Denmark's ability to limit the space available to him between midfield and defence could have a major effect on how often Norway create clear chances.
Rasmus Højlund
Højlund gives Denmark pace, physical power and aggressive movement through the centre. Norway's centre-backs will need to manage his runs without leaving too much space for Denmark's midfielders to attack behind him.
Mikkel Damsgaard
Damsgaard can become especially important when Denmark face an organised defensive block. His passing, movement and set-piece ability give Riemer's side another way of creating chances.
Tactical Battle
Norway's attacking structure is relatively clear. Ødegaard can create from central and right-sided areas, while Nusa and Bobb provide dribbling and pace around Haaland. When Norway recover possession, they have players capable of moving the ball forward quickly.
Denmark's priority should therefore be controlling the spaces around Haaland rather than simply focusing on the striker himself. If Denmark allow Ødegaard time to receive and turn, Norway can create situations where Haaland attacks the defensive line at speed.
Denmark have their own strength in midfield. Højbjerg and Hjulmand can make the central areas physically difficult for Norway, while Damsgaard and Froholdt can help move the ball through pressure. That makes midfield control one of the most important parts of this matchup.
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Where the Match Could Be Decided
Norway's service to Haaland
Haaland is most dangerous when Norway get him the ball in good positions rather than asking him to create attacks alone. Denmark must therefore limit Ødegaard, Nusa and the wide players supplying him.
Denmark against Norway's transitions
Norway showed at the World Cup that they can punish teams when space opens. Denmark will need good defensive positioning whenever their full-backs push forward, particularly against Nusa and Bobb.
Midfield control
Denmark have experience and physical strength through Højbjerg and Hjulmand. Norway can respond with Berge, Aursnes, Patrick Berg and Ødegaard. Whichever side controls the central areas should find it easier to dictate where the game is played.
What the H2H Record Tells Me
The historical numbers strongly favour Denmark. They have won 55 of the 91 meetings and are unbeaten in the six most recent encounters recorded by the NFF. But the current context is different.
Norway are coming off a World Cup quarter-final in which they defeated Brazil and Côte d'Ivoire in the knockout rounds. Denmark did not qualify for the tournament after losing their play-off final.
That does not erase Denmark's H2H advantage, but it makes recent performance more useful than results from previous generations.
Final View
I see this as a strong early test of whether Norway are ready for League A football. Their World Cup run showed that they can compete with high-level opponents, and playing the opening Nations League fixture at Ullevaal should give them confidence.
Haaland, Ødegaard, Nusa and Bobb give Norway several ways to attack, but Denmark have enough experience and midfield quality to prevent this from becoming an open game on Norway's terms.
Denmark's historical record in this fixture is excellent, and their experience at the top Nations League level should not be ignored. They reached the quarter-finals in the previous edition, while Norway are entering League A for the first time.
For me, the key battle is whether Denmark can stop Norway from progressing quickly into Ødegaard and then Haaland. If they can, the match may become a tight midfield contest. If Norway regularly break that first line of pressure, their attacking pace can cause Denmark serious problems.
It is a fitting opening match for Group A4: a long-standing Scandinavian rivalry, Norway's League A debut, and two teams with very different experiences from the first half of 2026.