– We are very happy with the draw. “This is a possible group to win,” national team manager Hege Riise told NRK.

Norway are seeded in group two and are guaranteed to face either the host nation Australia or New Zealand or one of the big powers.

It was New Zealand and Norway so lost teams like USA, England, Germany, France and Sweden. This is the fourth consecutive championship that Norway has entered in the host country group.

– They almost never beat Norway

Hence, the Norwegian team will be eliminated in the opening match to be played in Auckland on 20 July.

– This will be a lot of fun and a big challenge. Playing against New Zealand in the opener meant beating a bit from the bottom. “They have all the pressure and we can look forward to it,” said Riise.

– The fact that Norway are playing their opener is a great opportunity to show what they have and you really have to embrace this opportunity to show off, says NRK football commentator Christian Nilssen.

Norway ended in group A with New Zealand, Switzerland and the Philippines.

Switzerland is ranked number 21 in the FIFA rankings, New Zealand number 22 and the Philippines number 53. That makes Norway clear favorites in the group with 12th place.

– The most important thing is to avoid one of the best teams in the world, because they almost never beat Norway.

– Here only Norway hopes to be in the limelight of world football, says football commentator NRK.

Fail if Norway doesn’t progress

Nillsen believes it could be considered a flop if Norway does not progress to the last 16 after the group draw is complete.

Riise burst out laughing.

– I think that’s the journalistic aspect. If you look at the different groups, there is a big difference. “We may have a slightly more balanced group, but we have to move on from there,” Riise replied.

Hege Riise’s team may be keen to fight back after the European Championship ended in failure with an 8-0 loss against England as a highlight in a negative sense.

Since then, Norway has changed the national team manager from Martin Sjögren to Hege Riise. The new national team manager has won three of his first four games.

The previous match against the Netherlands, in which Norway won 2-0 away, gave hope for next year’s champions.

– Now we have challenged ourselves with good opposition basically all fall. “It’s part of the strategy to build confidence with good performances also against those who are ranked higher than us,” said the national team manager.

– I think the goal of a country like Norway should always be to progress from the group stage. I don’t think we should have higher expectations. “As soon as you get into the last 16, opponents start to get tough,” said Nilssen.

Here are all the WC groups:

Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Philippines.

Group B: Australia, Canada, Ireland, Nigeria.

Group C: Spain, Japan, Costa Rica, Zambia.

Group D: England, China, Denmark, group B playoff winners.

Group E: USA, Netherlands, Vietnam, group A playoff winners.

Group F: France, Brazil, Jamaica, Group C playoff winners.

Group G: Sweden, Italy, Argentina, South Africa.

Group H: Germany, South Korea, Colombia, Morocco.

Playoff A: Cameroon, Thailand or Portugal.

Playoff B: Senegal, Haiti or Chile.

Playoff C: Taiwan, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea or Panama.