Brazil vs Norway prediction, tips and odds | World Cup 2026

Carlo Ancelotti's Brazil enter the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup having navigated Group C while conceding just once, but the five-time champions needed a 95th-minute winner to edge past Japan and head into Sunday's tie at MetLife Stadium carrying a number of injury concerns.

Norway arrive in New Jersey having never lost to Brazil in four previous meetings, and with a striker who has scored more international goals than he has international caps – Erling Haaland recorded his first-ever World Cup knockout victory by netting the 86th-minute winner against Ivory Coast, and he carries the confidence of a player who has found the net in every game he has played at this tournament.

Preview: Brazil vs Norway

Brazil topped Group C with seven points, recording 3-0 victories over Haiti and Scotland after an opening 1-1 draw with Morocco, before beating Japan 2-1 in the Round of 32 courtesy of a stoppage-time strike from substitute Gabriel Martinelli – the latest normal-time winning goal in World Cup knockout history.

Vinicius Junior has been the most potent figure in Brazil's attack throughout the tournament, having scored four goals across the group stage and consistently showing why Ancelotti builds his side around the Real Madrid forward.

Lucas Paqueta and Raphinha are both absent – the former West Ham midfielder is out of the tournament, while the Barcelona winger has returned to on-field training from a grade one hamstring strain but has not rejoined the full squad and will miss Sunday's tie, with the burden on Vinicius to provide attacking impetus increasing substantially – our full football betting guide has analysis of how the market has responded to Brazil's injury situation.

Ancelotti's side were second best in the opening half against Japan in the Round of 32, and the decision to introduce Martinelli on the left flank transformed the game, suggesting that the manager has not yet settled found his most effective approach for a tournament that grows more demanding with each round.

However, Brazil have been considerably more reliable at the back – they conceded just three goals across their last five matches, keeping two clean sheets in the group stage against Haiti and Scotland, though Alisson has barely been tested and will come up against Haaland on Sunday.

Norway qualified from Group I in second behind France, dismantling Iraq 4-1 and edging past Senegal 3-2 before Stale Solbakken chose to rotate heavily ahead of an expected 4-1 defeat to the tournament's strongest side – a calculated sacrifice of the final group game that kept his key players fresh for the knockout phase.

Erling Haaland's figures for his country remain almost impossible to process in conventional football terms: the Manchester City forward has scored 60 goals in 53 international appearances, and five of Norway's 10 goals at this World Cup have come from him, confirming that neutralising the striker is the single most important tactical objective for any team facing the Vikings.

Martin Odegaard's creative influence has also been significant in the build-up, with the Arsenal captain having assisted in three consecutive World Cup matches – a record that has not been achieved since Dirk Kuyt at the 2010 tournament, and one that illustrates why Norway are far more than a one-man threat despite all the attention paid to Haaland.

Norway recorded their first-ever World Cup knockout victory by beating Ivory Coast 2-1 in the Round of 32, with Antonio Nusa's curled effort opening the scoring before Haaland settled nerves with a late winner, and that milestone result provided a confidence boost that the squad will bring into Sunday's contest.

The biggest concern for Solbakken is a defensive record that saw nine goals conceded across the last five matches – four of those arrived against France in a game when the squad was rotated, but opponents of considerably lower quality than France have also found ways past Orjan Nyland, and Brazil's attacking threats will probe that vulnerability throughout.

Team news: Brazil vs Norway

Brazil

Lucas Paqueta could miss the rest of the tournament through injury, while Raphinha returned to training on the pitch after suffering a hamstring strain against Haiti but will not be risked – the earliest he could feature is a quarter-final on 11 July should Brazil progress.

Casemiro was substituted for Fabinho during the victory over Japan, and while he said that his issue was nothing more than cramp and minor adductor pain, he remains listed as a doubt as his availability is yet to be confirmed.

Bournemouth's 19-year-old forward, Rayan, is expected to fill the right wing role left vacant by the absent Raphinha, having made a solid impression in the group stage, and though Neymar remains in the squad, he has played just 14 minutes at the tournament and is unlikely to be called upon for a significant contribution.

The new betting sites launching around the knockout rounds have Brazil at around evens to progress, a reflection of their status as nominal favourites despite the obvious limitations in their current squad – finding a way through Norway's defensive block without Raphinha will be the primary tactical problem for Ancelotti to solve.

Norway

Ryerson returned to full training ahead of Sunday's clash, but the Norway team doctor reportedly rated his chances of being fit to start at below 50 per cent, and Moller Wolfe is expected to occupy the left-back position if the Borussia Dortmund full-back cannot recover in time.

The remainder of Solbakken's squad is in good health following the rotation employed against France, with Haaland, Odegaard, Nusa and Alexander Sorloth all fully available after being rested or partially rested in that group-stage defeat.

Haaland leads the line as the focal point of the attack, flanked by Sorloth – a physical forward who provides aerial presence and can occupy two defenders simultaneously – and Nusa on the left, a combination that creates problems for defensive lines through directness, aerial threat and the ability to exploit transitions.

Sander Berge and Patrick Berg provide the defensive midfield base that allows Odegaard to operate in more advanced positions, and when that midfield trio functions at their best, Norway are a difficult side to break down without the ball – a quality that will certainly be tested.

Brazil vs Norway: Predicted XIs

Brazil (4-3-3): Alisson; Danilo, Marquinhos, Gabriel Magalhaes, Douglas Santos; Casemiro, Bruno Guimaraes, Danilo Santos; Vinicius Junior, Matheus Cunha, Rayan

Norway (4-3-3): Orjan Nyland; Marcus Pedersen, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Moller Wolfe; Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard; Alexander Sorloth, Erling Haaland, Antonio Nusa

Head-to-head: Brazil vs Norway

Brazil and Norway have met four times over the years, and the Selecao have not won a single one of those encounters – in the only competitive fixture between the sides, at the 1998 World Cup in France, the Vikings famously came from behind to win 2-1 and qualified for the Round of 16 as a result.

That famous triumph carries significant narrative weight, but the last meeting between the countries was an international friendly in August 2006, almost 20 years ago, and the head-to-head record belongs firmly to the realm of historical context.

Brazil's world ranking of sixth against Norway's 31st provides a more relevant measure of the gap between the sides in their current forms, and Ancelotti's squad contains a level of individual quality that will be difficult for Solbakken's side to overcome.

However, it is notable that Brazil have never found a way to beat Norway in four attempts across three decades – a fact that will not be lost on the Vikings as they prepare to face the five-time champions, and one that gives those looking at the World Cup bookies an additional data point for considering the merits of Solbakken's men at significant odds.

Our Brazil vs Norway prediction and tips

All of the markets below are available at Ladbrokes — visit our Ladbrokes sportsbook review for their full range of Brazil vs Norway odds, including match result, both teams to score and goalscorer markets for Sunday's tie.