Norway vs Portugal prediction 27.09.2026 | Nations League

Norway have grown into one of the best teams in the World in recent years. In the previous World Cup, Stale Solbakken's team reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to England after extra time. Norway also have high ambitions in the Nations League, where they should be good enough to progress to the knockout phase. On Thursday, in the opening round, they beat Denmark 3-2 at home. Norway didn't dominate that time, but life is much easier when you have Erling Haaland in the squad.

Norway's head coach, Stale Solbakken, was satisfied after a victory in the previous match. He said, "I am very pleased. We were better than them; we had more scoring chances than them; we had longer, better periods than them."

Left-back David Moller Wolfe came on as a substitute in the previous match and, in less than half an hour, received two yellow cards so that he will miss the upcoming tie against Portugal. Also, Alexander Sorloth, who had a big role at the World Cup, is missing from the squad for the first four Nations League rounds.

Portugal are undoubtedly among the best teams in the World. They won the previous Nations League, while in the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. lost in the 1/8 final against Spain. They are likely the best team in the Nations League group with Norway, Denmark, and Wales, and should have excellent chances for the playoffs. In the opening round, Jorge Jesus' team beat Wales 1- 0 in Lisbon. Although the final score suggests a close contest, Portugal probably deserved to score at least once more.

After a victory against Wales, Portugal's head coach, Jorge Jesus, was very pleased. He said, "The result is always important because everyone analyses the result. I analyze the result too, but I also analyze the team's defensive organization, for example. Wales had one shot on target today. One shot. Defensively, the team managed to hold on to this victory. It was important not to concede because that always puts us closer to winning. Individually, there are players who can do better, but in terms of what really matters — our playing philosophy — I think we did well for a first game."

Most of Portugal's key players are available for four Nations League matches in September and October.