Haaland attends NHL playoff game ahead of World Cup debut

Erling Haaland swapped the football pitch for the ice rink on Thursday as he and his Norway teammates took in a Stanley Cup playoff game in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Manchester City forward, who will make his long-awaited World Cup debut against Iraq on June 16, cut a relaxed figure at the Lenovo Centre, waving to the crowd and swinging a Hurricanes rally towel.

Norway's pre-tournament activities

The Norway contingent provided lively support for the Carolina Hurricanes in game five of the NHL playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Arriving in a grey polo shirt, Haaland was later filmed beaming in a white and red Hurricanes jersey with the number nine—the same number he wears for both club and country. The Hurricanes, targeting their first Stanley Cup crown in 20 years, won 4-2 to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Norway are playing at their first World Cup since 1998 and their first major tournament since Euro 2000. The squad has already made a mark off the pitch: they donned authentic Viking dress for a send-off photograph by acclaimed British photographer David Yarrow, titled The Vikings Are Coming, and paid tribute to their players' roots with a team photo featuring the shirts of their first clubs.

World Cup schedule and base

Norway are based in Greensboro, North Carolina—about 80 miles from the Hurricanes' Raleigh home—for the duration of the tournament. The opportunity to watch the NHL playoffs came less than a fortnight after Norway's men's national ice hockey team shocked Canada in overtime to clinch the bronze medal at the World Championships.

After facing Iraq in their World Cup opener in Boston on June 16 (23:00 BST), Norway travel to New Jersey to play Senegal on June 23 (01:00 BST) before returning to Boston for a meeting with France on June 26 (20:00 BST).