Norway is on the verge of securing its first-ever qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a resounding 5-0 win against Israel on Saturday in the sixth round of Group 9 European qualifiers.

Norway sealed the match in the first half despite striker Erling Haaland missing a penalty after six minutes. He later scored a hat-trick (27th, 63rd, and 72nd minutes), following an own goal by Anan Khalaily (18th) and a third goal by teammate Idan Nahmias (28th).

Norway strengthened its lead with 18 points from six wins, nine points ahead of second-placed Italy (four matches played), who face Estonia later, and the same margin over Israel, which has only two matches left.

The result is disappointing for the Italians, who are heading to the playoffs for the third consecutive time, a stage they failed to pass in the 2022 and 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Coach Gennaro Gattuso’s players hope to secure a fourth win today to keep their slim hopes of topping the group alive and to maintain second place three points ahead of Israel, with one game in hand.

Hundreds of protesters wearing Palestinian keffiyehs and carrying Palestinian flags gathered in the city center a few hours earlier, then marched amid thick colored smoke to the vicinity of the Ullevaal Stadium, which was under tight security measures.

Lin Al-Khatib, chairwoman of the Norwegian Committee for Palestine and one of the organizers, told AFP: “Today’s message is that we raise the red card against Israel, against the apartheid regime and genocide.”

She added, “We reject the use of football to whitewash war crimes, as is happening today with Israel’s participation in World Cup qualifiers.”

Protesters called for Israel’s exclusion from international competitions before police dispersed them, arresting several.

Norwegian Football Federation president Liz Klaveness recently said she is working “to impose sanctions on Israel,” adding in a podcast: “Personally, I think if Russia was banned, Israel should be banned too.”

A few days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, FIFA and UEFA jointly banned the Russian national team and Russian clubs from international competitions, a sanction that remains in place.

Before the match, some fans briefly raised a large Palestinian flag and a giant banner reading “Let the children live” in the stands, while booing was heard during the Israeli anthem.

In another Group 6 match, Hungary defeated Armenia 2-0 at home, moving up to four points in second place from three matches, two points behind Portugal, who play Ireland later.

In Group 11, Latvia drew 2-2 with visiting Andorra in a minor match.