In the first round of the World Cup, Iraq will meet Norway. From paper strength to recent form, this is a matchup with a huge gap between the two sides. Iraq reaching the World Cup stage is already an achievement worthy of respect. But objectively speaking, this team has a total market value of less than €15 million, sits outside the top 50 in the world rankings, and does not have a single player in the starting lineup who plays regularly in Europe’s top five leagues. In recent warm-up matches, they held Spain to a 1-1 draw, but Spain took more than 20 shots in that game, and Iraq relied on a deep defensive block and luck. The 0-2 loss to Venezuela on June 10 was a more accurate reflection of their true level — against a mid-tier South American side, Iraq were completely passive and had no answer. Norway, by contrast, present a very different picture. Their total squad value exceeds €450 million, and they are ranked 11th in the world. Ødegaard, Haaland, Sørloth, Ryerson, Østigård — this is a complete spine built around Europe’s top five leagues. Haaland scored 45 goals in all competitions for Manchester City last season, and against a defense like Iraq’s, his impact could be devastating. Norway have scored 31 goals in their last 10 competitive matches, averaging more than three per game, and their attacking output in Europe is second only to France and Portugal. In the betting market, bookmakers have moved Norway from an opening line of -1/-1.5 all the way up to -1.5/-2 away from home, with some firms even touching the -2 line. Norway’s win odds have dropped to around 1.20. This kind of upward movement across handicap lines shows that the market’s expectation of a big Norway win is only growing stronger. In Iraq’s last 10 matches, they have lost all games against slightly stronger opponents such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Venezuela, and they have conceded more than two goals per game on average, suggesting limited resistance under pressure. Overall, Norway have a crushing advantage in quality, are in excellent form, and possess a super-finisher like Haaland up front, while Iraq’s defense is unlikely to withstand 90 minutes of sustained pressure. Norway are backed to win by at least two goals, with the score leaning toward 0-2 or 1-3.