Norway haven’t been in a men’s senior final since 2000. With world stars like Erling Braut Haaland and Martin degaard, there is hope for Norway’s participation in the EC in Germany.

But it’s far from certain that it will work. Already today from 12 o’clock we will get a clearer picture of Norway’s chances when the draw for the qualification takes place in Frankfurt. There are various types of pools that Solbakken’s men can get.

In the worst case, this group could become a reality: Belgium, France, Norway, Turkey and Slovakia. Such a composition would be a Norwegian nightmare.

At stake, on the other hand, this could be the outcome: Hungary, Israel, Norway, Faroe Islands, Malta and San Marino.

Optimistic

After this summer’s bid in the national league, Norway looked to have good prospects in the draw, but the group wins were lost after losing to Slovenia and Serbia. With that, the team ended up in the third tier seed.

– The toughest thing was not to lose the promotion, but we didn’t get into the 2nd seeding bowl. This might make a difference. “Now we have the potential to get the top two teams in our group, and that means we have to break down some barriers to reach the EC,” said Solbakken after a disappointing September encounter.

Last year he believed Norway would qualify for Euro 2024. The statement comes after the World Cup ticket was lost, and Solbakken still has good confidence in himself and his own players.

– Chances are low that we’ll get a much harder draw, but that doesn’t mean we can’t manage it with a harder draw. In the national league, we won three games against a team that was seeded higher than us. I have very strong belief that we will make it to the European Championship in 2024.

Featured draws in EC:

Level 1: Netherlands, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Switzerland, Poland.

Tier 2: France, Austria, Czech Republic, England, Wales, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Scotland, Finland.

Level 3: Ukraine, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Ireland, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, Sweden, Armenia.

Level 4: Georgia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia.

Level 5: Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Belarus, Lithuania, Gibraltar, Estonia, Latvia, Moldova, Malta.

Level 6: Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein.

Extra chance?

Norway can’t get a team of its own level. The countries were drawn into seven groups with five teams and three groups with six teams. The Netherlands, Croatia, Spain and Italy will take part in the national league playoffs this summer and will therefore be drawn into a group of just five teams.

Qualifying will take place next year, and the top two in each of the ten groups will advance to the play-offs with hosts Germany.

The last three EC spots are distributed in the national league play-offs. The four best teams from divisions A, B, and C, which have not yet qualified for the championship, will have additional opportunities. Norway is ranked eighth in division B. Thus, four of the seven teams that are in the front rank must secure EC tickets for Norway to have such an opportunity.

Next month, Norway closes the national team year with matches against Ireland (17/11) and Finland (20/11).