Norway coaches accuse Scotland of being unprofessional after a planned training friendly before the World Cup collapses. Scotland decide not to play a closed-doors match in North Carolina. The late withdrawal angers Norway staff, who describe the move as weak. The disagreement comes less than two weeks before both nations begin their group campaigns.
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke explains that recent injuries in the squad influence the decision to pull out. Clarke says the behind-closed-doors meeting with Norway is not worth the fitness risk. Senior figures in the Norway camp reject that view. They insist the injuries mentioned cannot be linked to the most recent training session.
The Norwegian Football Federation confirms on Sunday that the
joint session is cancelled. Both squads are based in North Carolina, and the fixture is due to be played there on Monday. The late call forces Norway head coach Stale Solbakken to rethink rotation plans. Solbakken has expected to make heavier changes in the public warm-up against Morocco.
Solbakken voices frustration at Scotland’s approach and at the way communication is handled. "It is unprofessional of Scotland, Solbakken said. It is unprofessional that the coach has not called me, that they use the team manager and call and say it after we have finished training. I don't think the injuries they're blaming came from the last training session. That's not the case. It's disappointing. It's unprofessional. But we have to live with that. That's why we adjusted a bit in the game. "
Norway’s final official warm-up before Iraq is the 1-1 draw with Morocco on Sunday. Brahim Diaz scores for Morocco after eight minutes at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey. Martin Odegaard replies for Norway 15 minutes from time. That result closes Norway’s public preparation before the Group I opener against Iraq on June 16.
Dette sa Stle etter uavgjort mot Marokkopic.twitter.com/FNpGRzOFSUFotballandslaget (@nff_landslag) June 7, 2026
Former Fulham centre-back Brede Hangeland, now team manager with Norway, supports Solbakken’s criticism. "It is embarrassing to cancel it a couple of days before. We can't do anything about it. We just have to forget about it and make the best of it. But there has been a lot of organisation, agreements and gentlemen's agreements and then suddenly they don't want to. I think that was weak, so to speak. "
Both countries now look ahead to group action in the United States with adjusted schedules. Norway meet Iraq, Senegal and France in Group I, while Scotland compete in Group C. Scotland’s first game is against Haiti on June 13. Norway begin against Iraq three days later. Key upcoming fixtures are shown below.
This dispute leaves Norway staff unhappy with Scotland’s late change, yet both teams must adapt quickly. The cancelled training match removes one final chance to test players in a controlled setting. Despite the criticism, preparations continue, and attention now turns to how Scotland and Norway perform once the World Cup group stages start.
