No Miracle Left! Italy Only Has a Theoretical Chance of Direct Qualification, Haaland and Odegaard Fulfill Their Major Tournament Dream with the National Team

In Matchday 9 of Group I in the UEFA FIFA World Cup Qualifiers group stage, Italy beat Moldova 2-0 away from home, leaving them with only a theoretical chance of direct qualification for the World Cup.

In the standings, Norway leads Italy by 3 points, and the two teams will face each other directly in the final round. Norway currently holds a 17-goal difference advantage over Italy, meaning Italy must win by 9 goals or more to secure direct qualification.

In this World Cup qualifying campaign, Norway has achieved 7 wins in 7 games, scoring 33 goals and conceding only 4, topping Group I with an overwhelming advantage.

This will be Norway’s fourth appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals. In their previous three participations, they were eliminated in the group stage once and reached the round of 16 twice. Norway’s last major tournament appearance was at UEFA Euro 2000, and their previous World Cup participation dates back to the 1998 FIFA World Cup.