Group I · Matchday 2
SenegalvsNorway
2026-06-22·20:00 localPredictions finalised
The forecast
Match-outcome probability
- Senegal win32.3%
- Draw28.8%
- Norway win39.0%
A clash of identities: Senegal's transition-heavy approach meets Norway's balanced style in a fixture the model gives to Norway at 43%.
Why the model says this
Favoring Senegal
- ·Senegal holds a higher FIFA ranking at 19th, compared to Norway's 29th.
- ·Senegal has won 5 of their last 6 matches, demonstrating strong recent form.
- ·In the only prior head-to-head encounter, Senegal secured a 2-1 victory, though this fixture dates back to 2006.
Favoring Norway
- ·The Elo model component assigns Norway a 43.9% win probability, significantly higher than Senegal's 34.1%.
- ·Norway's expected goals (1.16) are higher than Senegal's (1.03) for this fixture.
- ·The HP model component also favours Norway, giving them a 40.8% win probability against Senegal's 29.9%.
- ·Norway has secured 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 6 matches, including two 4-1 victories in World Cup qualifiers.
What the model can't fully price
- ·One projected starter across both squads is carrying a fitness doubt, a factor not currently incorporated into the model's probability calculation.
Form check
Senegal
ImprovingSenegal enters this match in strong form, having won 5 of their last 6 fixtures. Their recent victories include two friendlies (3-1, 2-0) and three African Cup of Nations matches, with their only loss being a 0-3 defeat in the African Cup of Nations.
5 wins in last 6 matches
Norway
SteadyNorway's recent form shows a mixed bag with 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last 6 outings. They recorded significant 4-1 victories in World Cup qualifiers but also a 0-0 draw and a 1-2 loss in recent friendlies.
3 wins and 2 draws in last 6 matches
Analysis
How it plays out
Norway's balanced setup will need to hold shape against Senegal's direct transition game. The risk for Norway: getting caught between attacking and defending. Norway will expect to hold 56% possession. Senegal need their shape to stay compact without the ball and be clinical when they win it back.
What decides it
Senegal will concede possession willingly and attack in transition. Their defensive block needs to hold without fouling in dangerous areas. Erling Haaland's 10.9% scoring probability is the highest in this fixture. Containing that output is Senegal's primary defensive task.
Off the pitch
Ståle Solbakken (6 years in charge of Norway) vs Pape Thiaw (2 years). That tenure gap shows up in squad familiarity and set-piece coordination.
The angle
Likely the last World Cup for Idrissa Gueye. Tournament experience at this level is hard to quantify but hard to replace.
▸Goals & scorelines
Likeliest score 1–1 (13.9%) · xG 1.2 - 1.2
Expected goals
Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.
Most likely scorelines
- 1–113.9%
- 0–110.6%
- 0–010.3%
- 1–010.1%
- 1–27.9%
From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.
Most likely half-time scorelines
- 0–031.4%
- 0–117.9%
- 1–017.1%
- 1–111.3%
- 0–25.6%
Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.
Goal totals
- More than 0.5 goals89.8%
- More than 1.5 goals69.1%
- More than 2.5 goals42.0%
- More than 3.5 goals21.3%
- More than 4.5 goals9.1%
- More than 5.5 goals3.3%
- Both teams score48.8%
Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.
Event-typed probabilities
- Senegal clean sheetOpposing team scores zero29.9%
- Norway clean sheetOpposing team scores zero31.6%
Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.
Win-margin probability
- Senegal by 4+1.2%
- Senegal by 3+4.5%
- Senegal by 2+14.3%
- Senegal by 1+33.9%
- Draw29.5%
- Norway by 1+36.5%
- Norway by 2+16.0%
- Norway by 3+5.3%
- Norway by 4+1.4%
Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.
▸How the match unfolds
Over 2.5 goals 42.0% · BTTS 48.8%
Game state through the match
- Senegal ahead34.7%
- Level27.9%
- Norway ahead37.3%
Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.
When the first goal arrives
- 0–1532.5%
- 15–3021.9%
- 30–4514.8%
- 45–6010.0%
- 60–756.7%
- 75–904.5%
- No goal9.4%
Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.
Half-time / full-time grid
| HT ↓ / FT → | HSenegal win | DDraw | ANorway win |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSenegal ahead | 20.8% | 4.8% | 1.7% |
| DLevel | 12.2% | 18.5% | 13.0% |
| ANorway ahead | 1.6% | 4.8% | 22.6% |
Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.
Comeback probability
- Senegal trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT6.4%
- Norway trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT6.5%
Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.
Cards
- Expected yellow cardsMean of the Poisson on total yellow cards.3.45
- Total yellows over 2.567.0%
- Total yellows over 3.545.3%
- Total yellows over 4.526.5%
- Any red cardP(at least one red card in the match).9.5%
Referee not yet assigned. Using the 2026 pool-mean per-match rate as a placeholder; the model picks up the referee's personal rate once the assignment is published. Total yellow cards modelled as a Poisson with mean equal to two team baselines plus the referee's deviation from the pool mean. Reds are modelled the same way, independently. See /docs/methodology/.
▸Teams & players
Top scorer: Haaland (10.9%)
Match detail
Senegal
Model-rated key players: Bamba Dieng (FW) — P(scores) 3.4%; Nicolas Jackson (FW) — P(scores) 3.2%; Boulaye Dia (FW) — P(scores) 4.7%.
Senegal under Pape Thiaw play a transition heavy game with 47% possession. Their likely shape is a 4-2-3-1, though they have also used 4-3-3. They apply moderate pressing intensity (PPDA 21.2) and move the ball forward quickly at 5.3 passes per attack.
Senegal rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition. Managing minutes for Idrissa Gueye across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.
Norway
Model-rated key players: Erling Haaland (FW) — P(scores) 10.9%; Alexander Sørloth (FW) — P(scores) 3.8%; Erling Braut Haaland (FW) — P(scores) 2.0%.
Limited recent tournament data is available for Norway's tactical profile. Early indicators suggest a balanced approach.
Norway will need to leverage their strengths while managing the physical demands of a tournament spread across three host countries.
Senegal's predicted XI averages 1,712 club minutes over the 2024-25 season (light load).
Senegal coverage: 73.0% (10/11 XI matched against the FBref Big-5) · Norway: 46.0% (7/11).
Senegal historically converts 8.1% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.09 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Norway converts 13.6% from set-pieces (0.16 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.26 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.
- P(Senegal scores set-piece goal) 8.9%
- P(Norway scores set-piece goal) 15.1%
- P(set-piece goal in match) 22.7%
Senegal: Pape Matar Sarr on corners (7 corners) (per fbref 2021 22) · Norway: Martin Ødegaard on free kicks (per fbref 2022 23)
If a penalty is awarded to Senegal, the model gives 72.5% conversion, 72.0% for Norway.
Senegal primary PK: Boulaye Dia (5/5 in 2020-21, per fbref 2021 22) · Norway primary PK: Erling Haaland (2/2 in 2022-23, per fbref 2022 23).
Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.
Tactical forecast
- PPDA
- 21.2
- Possession
- 47%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- 7.3
- Long balls/90
- 43
- Set-piece xG
- 8%
Partial coverage from FotMob match stats (recent qualifiers and friendlies): possession and shot volume only. Press and build-up metrics are not available for this side.
- PPDA
- —
- Possession
- 56%
- Directness (yds/pass)
- —
- Long balls/90
- —
- Set-piece xG
- 14%
Style profile per side from StatsBomb open-data aggregation across recent international tournaments (Euro 2020/2024, Copa America 2024, AFCON 2023, World Cup 2018/2022). The tactical-fingerprint badge maps each team’s observed style vector into one of eight canonical archetypes via a rule-based classifier; teams with fewer than three matches of qualifying coverage carry an “insufficient-data” label rather than being forced into a default. Sides outside the StatsBomb-open corpus use FotMob team match stats from recent qualifiers and friendlies instead (possession and shot volume only), marked as partial coverage. PPDA = passes the side allows per defensive action (lower = more intense press). Formation distributions are not yet produced — that head of the §2.7 classifier is pending its own data pull. See /docs/methodology/.
Squad depth
Most irreplaceable starters
Senegal
- Sadio ManéWingerCover: Ibrahim Mbaye · 0.440.38gap
- Nicolas JacksonStrikerCover: Cherif Ndiaye · 0.520.34gap
- Édouard MendyGoalkeeperCover: Yehvann Diouf · 0.490.29gap
Norway
- Erling HaalandStrikerNo natural backup0.75gap
- Alexander SørlothStrikerNo natural backup0.62gap
- Martin ØdegaardAttacking midfieldCover: Thelo Aasgaard · 0.310.51gap
Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →
Match conditions
- AltitudeNear sea level7 m
- Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window23.8 °C
- Avg humidity71%
- Heat stressShade WBGT ~25.7 °CLow heat stress
- Pitch surfacetemporary natural grass over artificial turf
Artificial-turf NFL stadium; a temporary hybrid natural-grass pitch is being installed over the turf for the tournament, including the final.
Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Evening kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.
Top scorers · P(scores in this match)
- Bamba DiengFW3.4%
- Nicolas JacksonFW3.2%
- Boulaye DiaPKFW4.7%
- Erling HaalandPKFW10.9%
- Alexander SørlothFW3.8%
- Erling Braut HaalandFW2.0%
Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.
Recent match form
Last match player ratings
Senegal
vs Belgium · avg 6.2
Norway
vs Ivory Coast · avg 7.4
Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →
Video analysis: player performance
Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.
8Aymen Hussein21'–57'Scored a crucial equalizer and showed good attacking presence throughout the match.
1goals1shots1on target▼
Scored a crucial equalizer and showed good attacking presence throughout the match.
Match timeline
8Bounou142'–516'Made numerous crucial saves to keep his team in the match despite conceding four goals.
5saves▼
Made numerous crucial saves to keep his team in the match despite conceding four goals.
Match timeline
6Al-Hammadi47'–47'Showed attacking intent with a strong run but lacked clinical finishing on a key chance.
1shots▼
Showed attacking intent with a strong run but lacked clinical finishing on a key chance.
Match timeline
6Hussein Ali64'–64'Had an attempt on goal that was saved, showing some attacking involvement.
1shots1on target▼
Had an attempt on goal that was saved, showing some attacking involvement.
Match timeline
4Ezzalzouli637'–637'Involved in attacking moves but received a yellow card and had a shot wide.
1shots1 yellow▼
Involved in attacking moves but received a yellow card and had a shot wide.
Match timeline
4Morocco's #3Committed multiple fouls, indicating defensive struggles against Norway's attackers.
Committed multiple fouls, indicating defensive struggles against Norway's attackers.
9Erling Haaland9'–80'Scored two clinical goals, showcasing his predatory instincts and leading the attack effectively.
2goals1shots1on target▼
Scored two clinical goals, showcasing his predatory instincts and leading the attack effectively.
Match timeline
8Leo Østigård78'–78'Scored a goal from a set-piece, contributing significantly to the scoreline from defense.
1goals▼
Scored a goal from a set-piece, contributing significantly to the scoreline from defense.
Match timeline
7Møller DæhliProvided a crucial assist for the opening goal, demonstrating good vision and passing.
Provided a crucial assist for the opening goal, demonstrating good vision and passing.
7Oscar Bobb71'–71'Had a good shot on goal that was saved and contributed to Norway's attacking pressure.
1shots1on target▼
Had a good shot on goal that was saved and contributed to Norway's attacking pressure.
Match timeline
7Antonio Nusa225'–225'Showed good movement and ball control, drawing a foul in a dangerous area.
1fouls won▼
Showed good movement and ball control, drawing a foul in a dangerous area.
Match timeline
6DiopDrew a foul in midfield, contributing to possession and relieving pressure.
Drew a foul in midfield, contributing to possession and relieving pressure.
Match observations
- The match was a competitive affair with both teams creating numerous chances.
- Norway showed resilience in their attacking efforts, particularly in the second half, while Morocco relied on quick transitions and individual skill.
- The game featured a lot of end-to-end action, with goalkeepers on both sides being tested.
▸Under the hood
Model-by-model comparison
Senegal vs Norway
| Model | Weight | Home | Draw | Away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EloRating-based strength estimate | 32% | 24.6% | 22.0% | 53.4% |
| Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction | 63% | 33.7% | 29.4% | 36.9% |
| Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling | 6% | 31.9% | 28.2% | 39.9% |
| Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination | — | 30.2% | 28.5% | 41.3% |
| Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration | — | 30.8% | 26.0% | 43.2% |
How each model works
- Elo
- Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
- Dixon-Coles
- A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
- Hierarchical Poisson
- A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
- Bayesian stacking
- Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
- Ensemble (published)
- Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.
Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology
Probability decomposition (transparency surface)
- Baseline ensemble — P(Senegal win)36.1%
- + Lineup contribution0.0pp
- + Style-matchup contribution0.0pp
- Published P(Senegal win)36.1%
Decomposition of the published P(Senegal win) into the calibrated- baseline plus contributions from the §2.3 expected-XI lineup delta and the §2.7 style-matchup interaction. The §2.7 roadmap is explicit that style effects are second-order to team strength — single-digit-percentage P(win) shifts on extreme style matchups, near-zero on balanced ones. We surface the decomposition for transparency even when the contributions are small; the baseline carries the prediction. Methodology: /docs/methodology.
For this fixture both contributions round to under 0.05pp — the fitted style-matchup pair effect is in the small-magnitude regime the model expects to dominate.
Head-to-head history
| Date | Competition | Venue | Score | Result | xG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 2026 | FIFA World Cup | NEast Rutherford | 2–3 | L | — |
| 1 Mar 2006 | Friendly | HDakar | 2–1 | W | — |
Senegal vs Norway, every senior international meeting in the martj42 results dataset (score from Senegal's perspective; H/A/N = home/away/neutral).
Latest news & match context
- Erling Haaland brings $750 stuffed raccoon back to Norway after World Cup exit · The Independent — Football · 14 Jul
- Stage:
- Group I · Matchday 2
- Date:
- 22 Jun
Senegal and Norway both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.
Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.
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