The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar will go on without one of the brightest football stars in the world, Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund.
The country of the 21-year-old football star, Norway, could not win their group and could not even make it to the play-offs in March.
Erling Haaland and his country fell in Group G of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Unfortunately for Norway, they recorded 2 defeats, three draws, and 5 wins in 10 games which did not earn them enough points for the top spot.
They played their last qualifier on Tuesday, November 16 against the Netherlands. Norway were condemned to beat the Netherlands to finish second but the Netherlands defeated them 2-0.
The defeat means that Norway finished third in the group with 18 points in 10 games, Turkey finished second with 21 points in 10 games, and the Netherlands won the group with 23 points in 10 games.
As it stands, the Netherlands have won the automatic ticket to play in the Qatar World Cup, while Turkey will head to the playoffs in March.
Unfortunately for Norway, they went into their last World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands without Erling Haaland who is currently battling a hip injury.
The youngster who was looking forward to his first World Cup appearance could stay out of football until after Christmas this year according to his father, Alf-Inge.
Erling Haaland’s father said: “He’s doing relatively well considering the situation, but he’ll be out for a little while. It would be a bonus if he gets some games before Christmas, but it’s rather unlikely.”
Before Haaland sustained the injury, he has scored 13 goals and provided 4 assists in 10 games for Dortmund this season.
Haaland scored 9 goals against Honduras 😱pic.twitter.com/MEFGjVuSlT
— ZIZOU (@zizou_910) November 9, 2021
On the other hand, Robert Lewandowski might not also make it to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. His country, Poland, recorded 6 wins, 2 draws, and 2 defeats which only helped them to a second-place finish in Group I behind England.
This means that Robert Lewandowski’s Poland would have to fight for a ticket in the playoffs in March 2022. Lewandowski and Portuguese football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo will go through the same process to earn a ticket to Qatar.
Ronaldo’s Portugal could not also win their group. They lost the Group A ticket to Serbia after suffering a 2-1 defeat on the last day of the group’s qualification series.
