By Jacob Hibbert
England take on Norway as the Three Lions play in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup for the third consecutive tournament.
England lost their last quarter-final to France in 2022, but should be favourites to reach the semi-finals this time, despite the impressive form of the Norwegian side.
Gary Neville described England’s win in the last 16 against Mexico as “an amazing achievement” and further stated that England “were absolutely magnificent”.
They will definitely need another strong performance here to progress.
Norway have had quite the run through the tournament so far, with their only loss coming against France in the group stage, whilst beating the likes of Senegal, Ivory Coast and recently Brazil to reach the quarters.
Led by Premier League stars Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland, there is much more threat from the side than just those two.
Here, Sport Just Sport takes a look at how the game could go as England look to set up a potential semi-final with Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Haaland – Norway’s fantastic beast
There is no doubt that England fans would be a lot more comfortable heading into this game were it not for Norway’s number nine.
Leeds-born striker Haaland has scored seven goals in four appearances at this summer’s World Cup, with the Manchester City star not featuring in the 4-1 defeat to France.
This goes hand-in-hand with the 51 goal involvements he has in 56 games for Man City this season.
How one can stop him from scoring is a question that every defender has asked this season, with most failing to do so.
He showed face in a striking win against Brazil that he is capable of scoring from anywhere, whether it be bullying a defender in the penalty area, or sweetly scoring from outside the box.
Case for Dan Burn
There could be a case for the added height of Dan Burn in defence, after his dogged defensive display against Mexico.
Perhaps it will be Ezri Konsa’s job to stop Haaland, with the Aston Villa defender only conceding one to the Man City striker in five matches against him.
Or with Haaland’s current and former team-mates Marc Guehi and John Stones in the squad, they could know best how to stop Norway’s main attacking threat.
But it isn’t just Haaland who will threaten England’s defence.
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The best of Norway’s rest
The Vikings have other talented attacking players, whether it be the chances created from Odegaard — with his three assists so far — or the runs from RB Leipzig winger Antonio Nusa.
It isn’t clear straight away as to how Norway want to play, but this gives them more ways of getting past an opposition’s backline.
Statistically, they rank 25th for possession won in the final third, 18th for accurate long balls per match, and 19th for accurate passes per match.
These suggest that like Thomas Tuchel, Norwegian manager Ståle Solbakken could adapt his tactics and get the most out of his side for the nation’s biggest game in their footballing history.
Despite only two defeats since October 2024, they head in as underdogs and will have to hold off a clinical England attacking force.
England’s dynamite duo
England have scored 11 goals at the tournament so far, with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane responsible for all but one.
They are arguably the only reason the Three Lions are still roaring.
The combination of Bellingham’s runs from a deeper position, plus Kane’s ability to sit in and pick a pass from almost anywhere has been a system that has been near to perfect, barring the goalless draw with Ghana.
Along with Kylian Mbappe, Haaland is the only striker in Europe’s top five leagues that has a goalscoring record remotely close to Kane’s this season.
The English captain has 64 goals in 56 matches across all competitions for Bayern Munich this season.
He also won the European Golden Shoe — handed out to the continent’s highest domestic scorer — with 36 Bundesliga goals.
Whilst Bellingham has had his worst season with Real Madrid from a goalscoring perspective, this tournament shows he still has a knack for finding the back of the net.
He has now surpassed the likes of Sir Bobby Charlton, Michael Owen and Sir David Beckham to become England’s joint-third record scorer at World Cups, tied with 1966 hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst.
READ MORE WORLD CUP NEWS: World Cup 2026: England should play Declan Rice at right-back vs Norway, says Chris Waddle
Importance of Pickford
With plenty of attacking talent on show in this one, both goalkeepers are going to need to be at their best.
Norway’s Orjan Nyland put in a brilliant performance against Brazil, whilst Jordan Pickford stayed composed in one of football’s most intimidating atmospheres against Mexico.
England fans are often quick to point out Pickford’s form for England, and he could need another memorable performance for his nation to keep Haaland out.
He has already won one World Cup penalty shootout against Colombia in 2018, which could help him if the game goes all the way.
With the chance of penalties, it could turn out to be one of the biggest games of his career with England.
Prediction
Ultimately, it looks like a game that will be decided by the attacking stars on the pitch.
Two strikers at the top of their game, both supported by a big name from midfield.
Norway have already knocked out Brazil – and they will hope to take down another great footballing nation.
However, you’d have to back England after their performance against Mexico, with a side that appears better on paper.
It could be tighter than many England supporters would like, though, thanks to Norway’s impressive form.
Prediction: England to win after extra time
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