Haaland talks about his expectations for the 2022 Qatar World Cup champion

 Manchester City striker Erling Haaland said he would have liked to play in the World Cup in Qatar, but in light of Norway's disqualification, he will spend the rest period in order to prepare for the rest of the season's matches with his English Premier League champions club.

Haaland strengthened his position as one of the best strikers in Europe, after moving to City from Borussia Dortmund last summer, scoring 18 goals in 13 league matches, and 5 goals in 4 matches in the Champions League. With Norway ranked third behind the Netherlands and Turkey in Group G in the European World Cup qualifiers, Haaland will have to wait to add to his record of 21 international goals.

Haaland said, "Of course, I would have liked to play in the World Cup. But it is the truth now (that I) do not (that), but I will rest my body and mind a lot and then I will train." He added, "What will I train for? Nothing special, I think. My first months at City went very well. To be honest, I don't need to make a lot of changes."

He continued, "It is about preparing myself for the next half of the season and being ready when the matches start after the end of the break period." Norway had qualified for the last time for the 1998 World Cup. Haaland continued: “The biggest thing we can do together is qualify for the World Cup or the European Championship. Of course, this is my goal with the national team. We know it is difficult, but I hope to be there one day in the future.”

Haaland said that he nominates the teams of Brazil, Argentina, France and England to win the World Cup in Qatar, which will start on November 20 and continue until December 18. He added, "I cannot say one (candidate), because there are many good teams, so my candidacy is for these four."