Martin Odegaard was born on December 17, 1998 in Drammen, Norway, and the story of how he got to this World Cup begins with his father. Hans Erik Odegaard, a former professional footballer, co-founded the football section of the local club Drammen Strong and personally coached his son’s youth team. In 2005, when Martin was just six years old, his parents, along with other local families, contributed 50,000 kronor each so that the club could refurbish the gravel pitch with artificial turf. This decision gave him the opportunity to spend thousands of hours developing his game as a child.
Martin Odegaard’s career: from prodigy to Arsenal captain
Odegaard made his international debut for Norway in August 2014 at the age of 15 years and 253 days, becoming the youngest player in the country’s history to do so. Real Madrid signed him in 2015 in a deal worth an initial €4 million, making him the club’s youngest player at the time. A difficult loan spell followed, first with Heerenveen and Vitesse in the Eredivisie, then with Real Sociedad in La Liga, where he won the Copa del Rey in 2019.
His move to Arsenal began as a loan at the start of 2021 and was made permanent in August for an initial fee of £30 million. He was named Arsenal captain in July 2022 and led the club to the Premier League title in the 2025–26 season, lifting the trophy after a 2–1 win over Crystal Palace on 24 May.
Martin Odegaard is Norway’s captain for the 2026 World Cup.
Stale Solbakken handed Odegaard the Norway captain’s armband in March 2021, explaining the decision simply: “We think Martin has already lived a long life in European football.” This captaincy will now lead him to his first World Cup. Norway qualified for the 2026 tournament on 16 November 2025, ending a 28-year absence from the competition with a perfect unbeaten run, eight wins from eight matches, scoring 37 goals and conceding only five.
Odegaard finished qualifying with the most assists of any player in Europe, with seven total. At 27, he leads a Norway national team built around himself and Erling Haaland, the two central figures of the strongest generation of Norwegian football. King Harald personally voiced the video announcing Norway’s squad for the World Cup, emphasizing the national significance of this moment. Norway open Group I against Iraq at the Gillette Stadium on June 16, followed by Senegal and France. Odegaard wasn’t even born the last time Norway played at the World Cup. Now he leads a team trying to make history again.
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