Oslo, June 7, 2026 – The Europe Today: Norway’s national football team has been forced to alter its preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup after Scotland withdrew from a scheduled friendly match just days before Norway’s tournament opener.
The Norwegian Football Association confirmed that the closed-door friendly, planned for next week, has been cancelled due to injuries within the Scotland squad. Officials have not disclosed the full extent of the injury concerns that prompted the decision, although Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour reportedly suffered a knee injury last week.
The cancellation comes at a crucial stage of Norway’s preparations as the team looks to maintain momentum ahead of its World Cup campaign. Norway recently secured an impressive 3-1 victory over rival Sweden and had viewed the Scotland fixture as an important opportunity to fine-tune tactics and match fitness before the tournament.
Norway is set to begin its World Cup journey against Iraq in just over a week’s time. With the loss of a key warm-up match, the national team management will now need to explore alternative methods of preparation ahead of the opening fixture.
Despite the setback, Norway’s schedule still includes a friendly match against Morocco on Sunday, which will proceed as planned. The encounter is expected to provide valuable match practice as the squad continues its final preparations for the global tournament.
Team officials have not indicated whether they will seek a replacement opponent for the cancelled Scotland fixture. For now, the focus remains on ensuring the squad is fully prepared for the World Cup opener and maintaining the positive momentum generated by recent performances.
