Ivory Coast and Norway meet in Dallas on Tuesday, June 30 in what looks like the most open of the three round-of-32 matches that day. Ivory Coast came through Group E as runners-up with a campaign that ranged from dominant to shaky. Norway finished second in Group I — the same group where France went 3-0 unbeaten — and arrive at AT&T Stadium having pushed through that gauntlet without losing.

Erling Haaland has not been at his clinical best in the group stage, but Norway still found ways to progress, which says something about the depth of their squad. For Ivory Coast, their priority is simple: whether they can contain one of the most feared strikers in world football long enough to win the match themselves.

Ivory Coast’s Group Stage Showed Both Extremes

Les Éléphants went into this tournament with big expectations, and their group stage reflected the tension of that billing. Their possession rates ranged from 41 percent to nearly 63 percent across three matches, suggesting they could not settle on a consistent style. Two wins and one loss advanced them, but the performances were uneven.

At their best, Ivory Coast’s midfield dictated games. At their worst, they gave away the ball too high up the pitch and left their back line exposed. Norway’s direct style — driven through Haaland in central areas — will test exactly that defensive question Tuesday afternoon.

Haaland and Norway Will Look to Exploit Space

Norway’s approach is no secret: get the ball into Haaland’s feet or over the top, let the movement do the rest. He finished the Premier League season as the league’s top scorer for the third consecutive time, and the World Cup stage tends to sharpen rather than dull that kind of instinct.

The risk for Norway is if Ivory Coast’s pace on the wings pins back the Norwegian fullbacks. The Scandinavian side is not the deepest defensively outside its central core, and a quick Ivorian break could create real problems at the back.

Match Details: Kickoff, Broadcast, and Stakes

Kick-off is 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, June 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The winner faces France or Sweden in the quarterfinals. Fox Sports carries the US broadcast.

This is the kind of round-of-32 match the expanded World Cup format was designed for — two competitive nations who would never have met at this stage in the old 32-team format. Neither can predict with certainty how it will go.

If Haaland finds form on the big stage Tuesday, Norway go through. If Ivory Coast’s midfield wins the battle, it will be one of the day’s better matches.