Wales beat Norway in Cardiff last month and Dan James is not expecting any gratitude for it in Oslo. The Leeds United winger, who scored in that 2-1 win, thinks the result has given Erling Haaland’s side a reason to be sharper on Saturday than they were a month ago.
“They’re a great nation and, at home especially, they’ve been brilliant,” James said as Wales prepared for the trip to the Ullevaal Stadion. “They’re a very hard team to beat and I think after having that win in Cardiff it’s something that they’ve had to take — and they’ll be even more up for this game.”
Norway’s worst spell in ten years
The hosts arrive in trouble by their own recent standards. They lost to Portugal either side of the defeat in Cardiff, and the home loss to Portugal ended a run of 12 competitive matches unbeaten in Oslo. That was also the night Cristiano Ronaldo was left on the bench, walked out, and subsequently retired from international football.
Norway have not lost four in a row since 2016, long before most of this squad emerged. Only the goalkeeper Orjan Nyland and Alexander Sorloth, now fit again at Atletico Madrid, were around back then. A side with that much talent and that much criticism in its own press is a dangerous thing to meet on a Saturday evening.
What Wales are playing for
A win in Oslo would leave Craig Bellamy’s team well placed for third in Group A4, which they could then confirm with a point against Portugal in Cardiff or by hoping results fall right. Third would probably still mean a play-off to stay in League A, but it would guarantee a pot one seeding for Euro 2028 qualifying, and Wales are co-hosting that tournament.
James, 29 and about to win his 69th cap, is wary of making the maths the focus. “We’re all aware of where we want to finish and how important it is going into Euro qualifiers,” he said. “We have it in the back of our heads, but we can’t put pressure on ourselves — the only thing to know is that if we perform, we can do it.”
The run that nearly buried them
It is worth remembering how recently this looked beyond Wales. They lost their opening League A fixtures in Portugal and Denmark, and Bellamy admitted afterwards that the Denmark performance had hurt him. Six games without a win had turned the volume up on the manager before Norway came to Cardiff.
“As a team, we lost our identity a little bit,” James said. “People had started talking and writing us off a little bit, but I think we showed our reaction and people saw.” Doing it twice against the same opponent, away from home, would settle the argument about where this side is. The prediction here is that it stays tight and Wales take something rather than everything: 1-1, with Norway’s need for a response cancelling out the confidence Wales brought back from Cardiff.
Fixture: Norway v Wales, Uefa Nations League Group A4, Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Saturday 14 November 2026, 17:00 GMT. Dan James, 29, of Leeds United has 68 caps and scored in Wales’ 2-1 win over Norway in Cardiff last month. Craig Bellamy is head coach. Wales finish the group at home to Portugal. Quotes via BBC Sport Wales.
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