Ivory Coast vs Norway: FIFA World Cup Round of 32: Prediction, how to watch 

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Who: Ivory Coast vs Norway
What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – round of 32
Where: Dallas Stadium, Arlington, United States
When: Tuesday, June 30, at noon (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 14:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.

Playing in the World Cup knockouts for the first time, the Ivory Coast start their title challenge against a strong Norway side, powered by superstar striker Erling Haaland, who has dazzled on his tournament debut.

The Ivory Coast are one of a record nine African teams that made the cut to the round of 32, and with talented teen Yan Diomande in their ranks, they will hope to extend the continent’s stunning run in the 2026 edition.

The odds, however, heavily favour Norway, who will be out to match their best-ever performance by proceeding to the round of 16.

Al Jazeera tells you everything about the Ivory Coast vs Norway:

How did Ivory Coast and Norway reach the round of 32?

Ivory Coast came second in Group E with six points, finishing below Germany on head-to-head record. Here’s a list of their results:

• 1-0 win over Ecuador
• 2-1 defeat to Germany
• 2-0 win over Curacao

Norway came second in Group I with six points, finishing below France. Here’s a list of their results:

• 4-1 win over Iraq
• 3-2 win over Senegal
• 4-1 defeat to France

Can Ivory Coast stop Norway’s goal-scoring hero Haaland?

After a hat-trick of group-stage exits between the 2010 and 2018 World Cups, Ivory Coast gear up for their first taste of knockout football. Remarkably, they only trailed for three minutes and 29 seconds during the group stage – in their late 2-1 defeat against title contenders Germany.

Nicolas Pepe has been their leading scorer with two goals, while Amad Diallo and Franck Kessie also bagged one each – highlighting the team’s attacking options.

The 19-year-old winger Diomande – reportedly linked with a transfer from German side RB Leipzig to European champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – has been the team’s most creative force during the tournament, surging forward from the midfield and causing havoc for the opposition defences. Diomande’s elite playmaking has also been instrumental to the nation’s historic run to the last 32.

“I think that spreading the goals around is a real strength of ours, which we can use to catch our opponents off guard and be a threat from all over the pitch, including players coming off the bench to make a telling contribution,” said coach Emerse Fae.

As for Norway, striker Haaland has played a hero’s role, bagging four goals in two games, after being rested in their final game against France.

His striking excellence has made him a Golden Boot contender and given Norwegians reasons to rejoice as their side continues to dream big in their first World Cup appearance since 1998. Captain Martin Odegaard has also led by example, bagging two assists.

Ivory Coast’s pre-match preparations will likely concentrate on how best to stop the towering Haaland inside the penalty area in what is sure to be a thorough examination of the West African team’s defence, led by highly rated centre-back Ousmane Diomande.

Ivory Coast vs Norway predictions

Opta’s supercomputer has calculated a 56.1 percent probability of Norway winning this fixture in regulation time, while the Ivory Coast is assessed a 21.6 percent chance of victory.

The probability of going to extra time – or potentially penalties – is 22.3 percent.

Who will the winner face in the round of 16?

The winner of the Ivory Coast vs Norway match will face five-time champions Brazil, who snatched a last-gasp victory over Japan on Monday.

• Ivory Coast: New World Sport 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 (5pm, Greenwich Mean Time)
• Norway: TV2, NRK 1, NRK 2  (7pm, Central European Summer Time)
• United Kingdom: BBC (6pm, British Summer Time)
• USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (1pm, Eastern Daylight Time)

To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations.

Ivory Coast have won just one of their last five World Cup matches against European opposition (W1 D1 L3). Norway, meanwhile, have only lost two of their 19 contests with African nations in all competitions (W9 D8 L2).

Ivory Coast’s predicted lineup

(4-1-4-1): Fofana (goalkeeper); Doue, Kossounou, O Diomande, Konan; Sangare; Diallo, Kessie, Oulai, Y Diomande; Pepe

Norway’s predicted lineup

(4-3-3): Nyland (goalkeeper); Pedersen, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe; Odegaard, Berge, Aursnes; Sorloth, Haaland, Nusa