All eyes turn tonight, Sunday, to the clash between Brazil and Norway in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New York, a match that on paper seems uneven between a team representing a country with a population of 212 million and five World Cup titles, and another belonging to a country with a population of no more than 5.5 million, participating in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

But despite the huge gap in history and resources, Brazil enters the match carrying a real complex, as Norway remains the only team that 'Seleção' has never beaten among the teams it has faced, according to French network RMC.

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Norwegian journalist Steven Stanarsen from VG newspaper said: 'We say it out loud! We are the only country in the world that has never lost to Brazil. We are very proud of this statistic.'

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He added, laughing: 'The 1998 match, when Norway beat Brazil 2-1 in the group stage of the World Cup in France, remains to this day the biggest sporting event in Norway's history. Later generations have never known such collective excitement. It was written in the stars that we would meet the Brazilians again.'

The numbers support this talk: the two teams have met 4 times, with Norway achieving two victories, one in the 1998 World Cup and the other a friendly in 1997 with a score of 4-2, while the other two matches, in 1986 and 2006, ended in draws, leaving Norway as the only team that has not lost to Brazil.

In contrast, Pedro Bassan, journalist at Brazilian network TV Globo, commented: 'We respect Norway, and we must respect them because we have never beaten them. Brazil has not been lucky against this team, so people are worried. Also, they have a very good team, and they have several strengths that we do not have.'

As for Murilo Pereira, journalist at ESPN, he said: 'We never feel completely confident with this team. They can beat any opponent, but they are also capable of losing to any team. And Norway has elements we do not have; Brazil does not have Haaland or Odegaard.'

The fears of Brazilian fans increase given Neymar's unavailability to start matches, along with Rafinha's ongoing recovery, and the absence of Lucas Paqueta, while they rely heavily on Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.