Haaland's unexpected answer on title chances: The pressure is on another team

Norway national team striker Erling Haaland gave a humorous but cautious answer when asked about his team's chances of winning the 2026 World Cup.

Despite Norway making a big splash in the tournament, Haaland was in no hurry to include his team among the favorites. Instead, he shifted the focus to the England national team.

Haaland downplayed Norway's chances

Journalists asked Haaland about Norway's chances of winning the World Cup.

The forward smiled and said that his team's chances are still not high.

“Still very low,” said Haaland.

This response shows that the Norwegian leader does not want to increase the pressure despite the success in the tournament.

“There are clear favorites”

According to Haaland, the main contenders for the 2026 World Cup title are already visible.

He did not include Norway among them and mentioned England as one of the favorites.

“There are clear favorites in the championship, and England is among them,” the Norwegian striker said.

Pressure shifted to England

Haaland also said something interesting to the journalists. He emphasized that pressure should be put on the English players.

“You, the journalists, should put pressure on the English guys,” the forward joked.

These words may mean that the Norwegian leader wants to increase the pressure around his rivals, while his own team wants to operate in a quieter environment.

Norway is now being taken seriously

In the 2026 World Cup, the Norway team has attracted a lot of attention with its performance. Haaland's leadership, the team's confident play, and results against big opponents have made it one of the most interesting teams in the tournament.

But the forward himself does not seem to want to talk big about winning the title yet.

Calculation behind the joke

Although Haaland's answer looks like a simple joke, it contains a clear psychological signal.

By emphasizing that Norway is not among the favorites, he is taking the pressure off his team. The mention of England was not accidental — high expectations, a big squad, and great pressure are now on the opponent's side.