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Iraq vs. Norway prediction, pick for Tuesday 6/16/26

Iraq vs. Norway prediction, pick for Tuesday 6/16/26

FIFA World Cup Sports Betting Picks Soccer

Published:

By: Ciaran Doyle

Best Bet for Iraq vs. Norway

  • Norway Win and Over 3.5: Norway surprised everyone in UEFA qualifying, scoring goals for fun and winning all their matches. I expect them to continue that momentum in what is a favorable matchup for them to start this tournament.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has finally arrived, and the second match of Group I will feature Norway and Iraq.

Let’s dive into my favorite bet for this match.

Iraq vs. Norway Prediction, Pick

Norway enters the World Cup ranked 31st in the FIFA rankings, while Iraq comes in at 57th in the world.

This bet can be found under the “Match Parlays” tab. Norway surprised a lot of people in UEFA qualifying. They won all eight of their games to finish with a perfect record and advance to the World Cup. When you take into consideration that Italy was also in their qualifying group, it becomes even more impressive. They didn’t just win the group and win every game, but they did it in style. Their 37 goals scored in qualifying was the most in Europe by eight clear goals. Norway averaged just over 4.6 goals per game in qualifying, a staggering statistic.

They are led by Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, two of the biggest names in the Premier League. This is a team that lacks experience in major tournaments, having not played in the World Cup since 1998 and the Euros since 2000. This new generation have led them back to the biggest stage, but in my opinion they are more than capable of not just participating but making a run. It’s a great opening match for them to get their feet wet, facing the weakest team in the group, Iraq.

Iraq qualified for this World Cup via a playoff against Bolivia. This will be the second World Cup appearance in their history, with the first one coming in 1986. Unfortunately for them, this was one of the toughest groups to be drawn into. Norway should win this one and I expect them to continue their fine form in front of goal.

Best Bet: Norway Win and Over 3.5 (+170)

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Ciaran Doyle

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ciarandoyle77) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.