Key events
This isn’t a meeting of two teams in form. Norway have lost their last three games, perhaps a wee bit emotionally spent following their glorious antics at the World Cup (and their quarter-final defeat to England makes it four losses in the last five). Wales have lost four of their last five as well, winning just one of their last eight … though that victory was over Norway last month. So there is hope; just not too much of it.
Well, nobody expected that. Now we turn our attention to the other sport woven into the very fabric of Welsh culture: snooker darts pêl-llaw football. Can the heroism on display in Cardiff inspire Craig Bellamy and his team to a famous win of their own? By way of comparison, the Welsh rugby team were priced at 20-1 to beat the All Blacks this afternoon; the football team winning in Norway is a mere 9-1 shot. Nothing is impossible.
The soundtrack in the Millennium Stadium. Could it be anything else?
Wales have beaten the All Blacks for the first time since 1953! The final score 35-28. New Zealand spent pretty much the last half-hour inside the Welsh 22, but the red wall held firm. What a defensive stand! Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Lorde, Russell Crowe, Bret, Jemaine and Murray … your boys took one hell of etc. Astonishing.
So anyway, welcome to the dustcart that follows the Lord Mayor’s show.
Wales … I mean, you’re transfixed on the rugby, with a first win over New Zealand for 73 years tantalisingly close, but I’ll go on anyway … make four changes to the starting XI following the 0-1 home defeat to Denmark. Karl Darlow replaces Danny Ward in goal. Ben Cabango and Sorba Thomas are suspended, so in come Joe Rodon and Harry Wilson. And Dan James replaces his missing namesake Jordan. Six minutes away from a first win over the All Blacks since 1953, though!
The teams
Norway: Selvik, Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Moller Wolfe, Bobb, Berge, Aasgaard, Nusa, Odegaard, Haaland.
Wales: Darlow, Williams, Rodon, B Davies, Dasilva, Wilson, Ampadu, Cullen, D James, Koumas, Johnson.
Preamble
Wales could do with winning this one all right. Group A4 currently looks like this …
1. Portugal P4 W 4 D0 L0 GD+5 Pts 12
2. Denmark P4 W2 D0 L2 GD0 Pts 6
3. Wales P4 W1 D0 L3 GD-3 Pts 3
4. Norway P4 W1 D0 L3 GD-2 Pts 3
… which means Portugal have qualified for the quarter-finals, and Denmark can’t be directly relegated, but everything else is pretty much still up in the air. The Danes could still drop into the relegation play-offs, but they could also make the quarters. Wales and Norway meanwhile could both still make the quarters, be directly relegated, or have to suffer the relegation play-offs. So let’s not get bogged down too much in that, not yet. Wales need to get this job done before we start leafing through the Bumper Uefa Regulations Annual 2026 with a sweat on. Kick-off in Oslo is at 5pm GMT. It’s on.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/nov/14/norway-v-wales-nations-league-live
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