Solbakken sharply criticizes Clarke after cancellation of Norway and Scotland's closed-door test
Norway head coach Ståle Solbakken publicly criticized his Scottish counterpart Steve Clarke after, according to the Norwegian side, a closed-door friendly match that was supposed to serve as a final test ahead of the 2026 World Cup was canceled at the last minute. It was a training match without spectators and without the usual competitive protocol, but the Norwegian staff considered it an important part of preparations for players who had not received full minutes in official friendly matches. According to a report by Norway's VG, the match had been planned for Monday, June 8, 2026, the day after Norway's match against Morocco in Harrison, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The Norwegian Football Federation had previously announced that the test with Scotland had fallen through because of injury problems in the Scottish camp, while Clarke later said it had only been a one-hour training match and that the risk had not been justified.
The dispute gained additional weight because it happened only a few days before the start of the World Cup, which is being played from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Norway and Scotland entered the final part of their preparations in North Carolina, with Norway based in Greensboro and Scotland in Charlotte. According to The Independent, the camps of the two national teams are approximately 90 miles apart, or about 145 kilometers, so the planned test was logistically feasible without a major travel burden. That is precisely why the Norwegian side emphasizes that the cancellation was not only a technical issue, but a disruption to a schedule that, according to their interpretation, had been prepared for months.
The Norwegians claim the agreement had existed for months
After Norway's 1:1 draw with Morocco, Solbakken told Norwegian media that Scotland's decision had surprised him and that he was particularly dissatisfied with the way it had been communicated. According to VG and The Independent, the Norwegian coach said it was unprofessional that Clarke had not called him personally, but that the message had arrived through members of the operational staff after the Norwegian national team had already completed training. Solbakken also questioned the explanation that injuries were the main reason for the cancellation, stating that he did not believe the problems had appeared only at the final training session. He stressed that, had he been in the opposite situation, he would personally have picked up the phone and explained the decision to the other side.
According to the same reports, the match was supposed to be played behind closed doors and was primarily intended for players who had not played against Morocco or had received limited minutes. Solbakken stated that it was now too late to find a replacement opponent, which particularly affected some national team players who needed additional competitive workload. VG listed Marcus Holmgreen Pedersen, Morten Thorsby, Jens Petter Hauge and Henrik Falchener among the players who did not feature against Morocco. The Norwegian staff therefore had to change the recovery plan and prepare a different training program for the players who were supposed to get minutes against Scotland.
Norway team manager Brede Hangeland further intensified the criticism, telling Norwegian media that the match had been worked on for months and that canceling it a few days before the date was unpleasant for everyone involved. According to The Independent, Hangeland spoke about organization, agreements and a so-called gentleman's agreement, while judging that the sudden withdrawal had not been particularly gentlemanly. Such wording suggests that the Norwegian side believes the agreement, even if it did not have the full formal character of a publicly announced friendly match, was solid enough for the final part of preparations to be planned around it. Scottish sources, on the other hand, state that the match had not been formally confirmed as an official fixture between the associations, which is one of the reasons why the two sides now differ in their interpretation of obligations.
Players' reactions: disappointment, but also an attempt to calm the situation
Norway captain Martin Ødegaard, according to VG, said that an additional match would have suited the team so that all players could get a quality rhythm, but at the same time emphasized that the national team could not dwell on complaints and had to find a solution. His statement reflects an attempt to turn disappointment into an adjustment of the plan, which in the final days before a major tournament is often just as important as the match itself. Kristian Thorstvedt, who came off the bench against Morocco about ten minutes before the end, said he had expected more minutes against Scotland and that the substitute for the match would probably be a more intense training session. Alexander Sørloth judged that the cancellation was especially harmful for players who had not received a proper competitive workload, while Patrick Berg tried to lower the tensions by emphasizing that, in the bigger picture, the team could still complete a quality training session.
Such reactions are important because they show that behind the public controversy there is not only a question of communication etiquette, but also the sporting logic of preparations. Ahead of a tournament with 48 national teams and 104 matches, according to FIFA's 2026 format, coaching staffs try to precisely dose minutes, travel, recovery and training intensity. Players who do not receive more serious minutes in the final friendly matches often make up for competitive rhythm through closed-door tests without the additional pressure of the public. If such a match falls through in the final phase, a team can organize a high-intensity training session, but such work still does not fully imitate the unpredictability of a match against another opponent.
Norway had an additional reason for sensitivity in this situation because, according to FIFA, it is returning to the World Cup after a 28-year absence. Solbakken's national team plays in Group I against Iraq, Senegal and France, and the Norwegian Football Federation states that the first match against Iraq is scheduled in Boston. The NFF had earlier announced that during the group stage the national team would be based in Greensboro and train at the facilities of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with special access rules for accredited media. In such a schedule, every planned day has a precise function, so it is clear why the staff experienced the canceled test as a disruption rather than as a secondary event.
Clarke claims it was not worth taking the risk
Steve Clarke did not enter into an extensive public controversy, but according to The Independent, he briefly explained to BBC Scotland that the match was supposed to be only a one-hour training game at the Scottish camp and that Scotland had had one or two minor issues with the players' physical condition during the previous week. Clarke said that, in such circumstances, it had been assessed that the match was not worth the risk. That wording suggests that the Scottish staff was not speaking about a wave of serious injuries, but about a preventive assessment in the final days before the opening of the tournament. In preparations for the World Cup, such decisions are often the result of a balance between the need for rhythm and the need to preserve players.
Scotland enters the final stage of preparations after a convincing 4:0 victory against Bolivia in Harrison on June 6. The Scottish Football Association had earlier announced that the match with Bolivia was intended as the last official test before the World Cup, and on its website it confirmed the result and lineups of that match. In that game, Clarke gave significant minutes to a number of players, and Scottish media emphasized that the victory came at a moment when the national team was seeking stability before its first group match. However, the previous part of preparations had already been marked by the loss of Billy Gilmour, for whom the Scottish Football Association announced on May 30 that, because of a knee injury sustained in the victory against Curaçao, he would miss the World Cup and return to Napoli for rehabilitation.
It is precisely against that background that Clarke's more cautious assessment can be understood. Scotland, according to FIFA and the Scottish Football Association, is returning to the world stage for the first time since 1998, which carries a major sporting and emotional stake for the coach and the national team. According to FIFA's schedule, Scotland plays in Group C against Haiti in Boston, then against Morocco also in Boston, and the third group match against Brazil in Miami. When it is known that Gilmour has already been ruled out because of injury, the decision not to additionally burden players with minor problems can be viewed as a conservative move by a staff that does not want to risk another loss before the start of the competition.
The dispute over the status of the match remains the key difference
The biggest difference between the two sides concerns the question of what exactly had been agreed. The Norwegians speak of a match that had been worked on for months and for which they had adjusted the minutes plan against Morocco. According to Hangeland's statements, there were agreements and a gentleman's agreement, which in a football environment often has practical weight even when it is not an official friendly match with a public broadcast and ticket sales. On the other hand, Scottish sources emphasize that the match had not been formally confirmed as an official arrangement between the associations, so in their interpretation the decision to withdraw remained in the area of an internal preparatory assessment.
Such misunderstandings are not rare in the final preparations for major competitions, especially when closed-door tests, training matches or shortened fixtures without standard protocol are being arranged. Unlike official friendly matches, which have a publicly announced date, referees, media obligations and the usual organization, training matches often depend on flexible agreements between coaching staffs. That very flexibility can be useful to coaches, but in the event of cancellation it opens space for different interpretations. The Norwegian camp believes the communication should have been direct and personal, while the Scottish camp evidently prioritizes the medical and tactical assessment of its own team.
The dispute is additionally interesting because Norway and Scotland know each other well from recent European qualifying cycles. Their meetings in recent years have often carried great competitive significance, and both national teams come to North America with a story of returning to the major world stage. Scotland, according to FIFA, secured its first appearance at the World Cup after 28 years, while Norway also ended a long wait dating back to its appearance in 1998. In such a context, every decision in the final phase of preparations is observed under a magnifying glass, especially if it affects the plans of another national team.
The broader context of preparations for the tournament in North America
The 2026 World Cup is the first edition with 48 national teams and is being played in three host countries, which gives preparations additional logistical complexity. FIFA states that the tournament will consist of 104 matches, and national teams are facing different climatic conditions, time zones and distances between cities. For that reason, camps in the United States, Canada and Mexico have been planned in a way that reduces unnecessary travel, but also enables players to adapt to the conditions. Norway chose Greensboro as its base, and the NFF announced that training sessions and media activities would mostly take place at UNCG, except on days directly connected to matches.
Scotland used American warm-up matches in the same period to finalize the team before a group that includes Haiti, Morocco and Brazil. According to the Scottish Football Association, the match with Bolivia was the last official test, while a match with Curaçao had also been played earlier. The canceled test with Norway, according to Clarke's interpretation, did not have the same status, but was instead an additional training fixture that could have helped maintain rhythm, but was not worth the additional risk for the players. For the Norwegians, however, precisely that supplementary function was crucial because they had planned to distribute minutes after the match with Morocco.
By June 8, 2026, there had been no public confirmation that the match would subsequently be replaced by a new opponent or that the associations would further formalize their positions. According to the available information, Norway will continue with a modified training plan, and Scotland will focus on final preparations for the group opener against Haiti. Despite the sharp tone of Solbakken's statements, the controversy has so far remained within the framework of public comments by the coach, staff and players. The sporting consequences will be possible to assess only after the start of the tournament, when it will become clearer whether the Norwegians lost an important part of their preparation rhythm or whether it was a short-term disruption that the team will make up for through training sessions in Greensboro.
Sources:
- VG – report on Solbakken's statements, reactions from Norwegian players and the circumstances of the cancellation of the training match (link)
- The Independent – report on the reactions of Solbakken and Hangeland and Clarke's explanation to BBC Scotland (link)
- Scottish FA – official announcement about Billy Gilmour's injury and absence from the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Scottish FA – official announcement of Scotland's final friendly match against Bolivia before the World Cup (link)
- Scottish FA – men's A national team page with the result of the Bolivia – Scotland match and the schedule of upcoming appearances (link)
- Norges Fotballforbund – official program of the Norwegian national team in the United States and information about the base in Greensboro (link)
- Norges Fotballforbund – official information about Norway's group and match schedule at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official schedule and format of the 2026 World Cup, including the number of matches and hosts (link)
- FIFA – official information about the Scottish national team, group and match schedule at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – Norway profile and context of the return to the World Cup after 28 years (link)