Overview
Norway and England will face each other in a quarter-final match that Supercomputer Opta assesses as the most balanced at the 2026 World Cup.
This is a historic milestone for Norway as they reached the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time. The victory over Brazil in the round of 16 shows that coach Solbakken's team is no longer a phenomenon but has become a truly formidable opponent.
Norway has only lost one match since the beginning of the tournament, which was a defeat to France in the last round of the group stage, when Solbakken replaced up to 10 positions in the starting lineup to save energy for key players. The decision to rotate the squad and accept second place in the group then took effect when Norway successively overcame Ivory Coast and Brazil to register their names in the quarterfinals.
The matches of the Northern European representative all took place with an open game. They scored 12 goals but also conceded nine times, and both scored and conceded in all 5 matches played. In World Cup history, only the German team in 1954 scored and conceded 10 or more goals on the journey to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, England once again participated in the World Cup quarter-finals. Only Brazil and Germany (14 times) have more times reaching this round than the "Three Lions" (11 times). However, England's achievements in the quarter-finals are not really convincing when they have only won 3 in the last 10 matches in this round.
The victory over Mexico in the round of 16 shows that Thomas Tuchel's army gathers professional quality, bravery and the ability to make a difference. However, to go further, they will have to find a way to stop Erling Haaland.
The Manchester City striker is having an explosive World Cup. Haaland scored 7 goals in just 18 shots and has scored in all four of his first appearances. If he continues to score against England, he will become the first player since James Rodriguez at the 2014 World Cup to score in the first 5 matches of a World Cup, and also the first European player to do so since Gerd Muller in 1970.
It is worth mentioning that Haaland's goals are all of great significance. Four of his seven goals were goals that decided the outcome of the match. That form also extended his impressive achievement in the national team jersey, where Haaland scored 62 goals in 54 matches and had a 14-match scoring streak.
However, England also possesses stars capable of making a difference. Harry Kane has 6 goals at the 2026 World Cup, only one goal behind Haaland in the top scorer race. The "Three Lions" captain has also scored 11 goals in 12 knockout matches in major international tournaments.
Next to Kane is Jude Bellingham, who is experiencing the best World Cup of his career. After scoring twice against Mexico, the Real Madrid midfielder has scored 4 goals and become the highest scoring midfielder for England in a World Cup.
Head-to-head record
Norway and England have faced each other 12 times in the past. This will be the first time the two teams have met again since the friendly match in September 2014, when England won 1-0.
In terms of head-to-head record, Norway has only won 2 out of 12 encounters with the "Three Lions" and has not scored any goals in the last four encounters.
Score prediction: Norway 3-2 England
The match between Norway and England takes place at 4:00 AM on July 12 (Vietnam time).
