Iraq vs Norway World Cup 2026: Why to back Martin Odegaard to assist at 11/4

Iraq and Norway face off in their opening game of Group I on Tuesday night, with the latter aiming to get off to a winning start at the World Cup with France and Senegal also occupying the group.

Competing in their first World Cup since 1998, the Norwegians will be relying heavily on Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland to push them into the latter stages with his goalscoring prowess, but another key player for the side is Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard.

Below, we detail why to back Odegaard to make over 0.5 assists at 11/4 (3.75) with Boyle Sports, as he aims to help lead Norway to victory against Iraq.

Iraq vs Norway World Cup 2026: Odegaard's influence

Odegaard recorded the most assists in UEFA qualifying for the World Cup, with seven in total as Norway won all eight games.

Their scoring rate of 4.6 goals per match was the best-ever average of any European nation in a World Cup qualifying campaign with more than four games played.

That was largely helped by the goalscoring exploits of Haaland, netting 16 of Norway's 37 goals – twice as many as the next top scorer in UEFA qualifying.

While Haaland is the genuine superstar of the team, Odegaard is the conductor in midfield that makes it tick, and Norway's captain boasts 18 assists in 68 senior caps for his country in all competitions.

He scored the goal that earned them a 1-1 draw against fierce opponents Morocco in a friendly in the Norwegians' last outing, while he also recorded three goal contributions (G1, A2) in his last appearance in World Cup qualifying – an 11-1 thumping of Moldova in September.

Considering Odegaard missed a few of the qualifiers through qualifying, his assists record in particular was impressive.

His injuries also kept him out of key games at club level for Arsenal, although Odegaard still helped the Gunners win a first Premier League title in 22 years and reach the Champions League final, where they unfortunately lost out on penalties to the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Still, the 27-year-old managed one goal and eight assists in 32 appearances across both competitions, with seven of those assists coming in the Premier League.

Iraq vs Norway World Cup 2026: Odegaard to make over 0.5 assists has value

Given Odegaard's assist record in qualifying and at club level, we think backing him to assist against Iraq could hold great value.

Norway are heavy favourites to win, with Opta giving them a 77.4% chance, so the likelihood is that they will dominate possession and Odegaard gets on the ball.

With the quality the Norwegians possess in forward areas, notably in the form of Haaland, Odegaard should get plenty of chances to assist his teammates.

Nonetheless, Odegaard to make over 0.5 assists at 11/4 (3.75) with Boyle Sports has a decent chance of coming through in our eyes, and so we feel is a bet worth backing.