Although he started the season as he had spent the previous one – by multiplying the goals like others -, Erling Haaland will not continue his harvest in international competition. Even before facing Scotland on Sunday, November 19, in the final match of the qualifying phase, Norway’s Manchester City star striker – who will be absent with a slight foot injury – can no longer hope to play in the Euro 2024 in Germany, even via the play-offs, according to the regulations of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Third in Group A of Euro2024 qualifications – behind Spain and Scotland, who have validated their ticket for the tournament which will be played in Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024, the Norwegian men’s football team is now assured of not playing in the next Euro. The men led by former international Stale Solbakken could still hope to reach the competition via the play-offs, but to do so they had to count on a string of favorable results in Group I on Saturday evening. And Romania’s victory against Israel (2-1) made their last hopes evaporate. Norway is out of the running to qualify through the play-offs, reserved for the highest ranked teams in the last Nations League.
Fourth best runner-up in “League B” of this competition, the selection led by Haaland and Arsenal attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard can no longer be among the four drafted for the play-offs. And will prolong its black hole in international competitions: Norway’s last participation in the Euro or the World Cup dates back to Euro2000. Born on July 21 this year, three weeks after the final, Erling Haaland has never seen his country play in a final tournament.
For the 2024 edition of the prestigious continental competition, two thirds of the qualifiers (16 out of 24) are now known – starting with France, whose overwhelming victory on Saturday against Gibraltar (14-0) validated the place of seeded at the Euro. Five more tickets will be distributed by the end of the group stage on Tuesday.
Haaland’s Ballon d’Or dreams could suffer
The last tickets will go to three of the twelve nations called to play in the play-offs next March. And seven are already known: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Luxembourg and the Poland of FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski.
Erling Haaland will therefore not spend the summer in Germany. The former Borussia Dortmund striker, who has been averaging around one goal per game since the start of the season (thirteen goals in the league and four in the Champions League) will still have to wait before shining on football’s biggest stage with his national jersey. Second in the last Ballon d’Or despite a season punctuated by 56 goals and a Champions League/Premier League/Cup treble with Manchester City, the Norwegian striker could see his individual ambitions suffer from this absence at the Euro. Winner of the Ballon d’Or for an eighth time, Lionel Messi was indeed rewarded for leading Argentina to the roof of the world during the World Cup in Qatar.
“I of course dream of accomplishing great things with my selection,” assured the Norwegian striker, interviewed by France-Football, ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. We are a small country of barely 5.5 million inhabitants, so it’s not easy. But I dream of participating in a Euro or a World Cup. » If the increase in the World Cup to 48 teams (compared to 32 until then) from the next edition, in 2026 (in the United States, Canada and Mexico) could promote its ambitions, it will still not be for the summer 2024.
