The Norway national football team faces Senegal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey in the FIFA World Cup 2026. Morten Thorsby believes the pitch conditions at the stadium can be an advantage for Norway, despite criticism from several players. Ståle Solbakken describes the pitch as «almost no grass» and says it resembles artificial turf. Thorsby says Norway has inspected the pitch and it looks fine. He believes the pitch conditions can be to Norway's advantage, but notes that all pitches are different. Norway plays against Senegal at 02.00 Norwegian time on Tuesday, June 23. The match is played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is officially known as the New York New Jersey Stadium in the World Cup. The pitch conditions at the stadium have been criticized by several players, including French defender William Saliba. He says the pitch resembles artificial turf and is very hard. However, FIFA says that all 16 pitches to be used in the FIFA World Cup 2026 still have excellent quality in terms of playability and player safety. Morten Thorsby says Norway must use the warm-up well and get off to a quick start to handle the ball on the fast surface. Ståle Solbakken says it's a «huge setting» at the stadium and that it won't get better than a sold-out stadium with over 80,000 spectators. The Norwegian team arrived in New Jersey on Sunday evening and will have a short time to prepare for the match. The team's captain, Martin Ødegaard, is expected to play a key role in the match, along with other key players like Erling Haaland and Joshua King.