Bob Bradley says Norway’s World Cup surge is evolution, not reinvention

Bob Bradley, former USA coach, says Norway’s World Cup surge reflects evolution rather than reinvention, noting the Scandinavian side’s 2‑1 round‑of‑16 victory over Brazil that propelled them to their first ever quarter‑finals, while Belgium’s 4‑1 demolition ended Mauricio Pochettino’s USA campaign.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s USA’s World Cup 2026 run was halted by a 4‑1 thrashing from Belgium in the round of 16, preventing the team from matching the quarter‑final appearance achieved by the Bruce Arena‑coached U.S. side at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea.

In contrast, Norway, which had not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, beat Brazil 2‑1 in the round of 16 to reach the quarter‑finals for the first time in its history, emerging as one of the most impressive teams among the 48‑nation field.

After Bradley coached the USA to a round‑of‑16 appearance at the 2010 World Cup, the New Jerseyan led Egypt’s national team from 2011‑13 before taking the helm of Norwegian club Stabæk in 2014, guiding them back to the top‑tier Tippeligaen.

“I enjoyed being part of the football community in Norway,” said Bob Bradley. “I took my UEFA Pro License in Norway and got to know a lot of the coaches. There were some guys who had played for Norway in the 1994 and 1998 World Cup that were now coaches, and you had a mix of people of different ages from around the country.”

Bradley steered Stabæk to first‑tier survival in his inaugural season and secured Europa League qualification in his second, while also working to elevate the academy system of the small club in the Oslo suburb of Bærum.

Bradley was assisted by Jan Peder Jalland, who now serves as head coach of Norway’s U‑21 national team; both Andreas Schjelderup, the 22‑year‑old who scored in Norway’s 2‑1 overtime loss to England in the quarter‑finals, and Oscar Bob, 22, featured for Jalland’s U‑21 side.

Central midfielder Morten Thorsby, who featured in both of Norway’s 2026 World Cup qualifying wins over Italy, moved into Stabæk’s first team at age 17 under Bradley. Sander Berge, now at Fulham, trained with Stabæk during his mid‑teens but the club balked at paying training compensation when Bradley tried to sign the defensive midfielder.