England have won three quarter-finals in a row – but Norway could be their toughest test yet

England take on Norway in the World Cup 2026 quarter-final in Miami. Thomas Tuchel’s side are looking to reach only their second World Cup semi-final since 1990. Norway are back at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, and they have been brilliant so far. Erling Haaland has netted seven goals in four matches. England are favourites, but Norway have already beaten Brazil.

It was 27 June 2016, and Roy Hodgson had just quit. England had been eliminated from Euro 2016 by Iceland, a country with a smaller population than Leicester City’s average gate. It felt like rock bottom for English football. The whole nation was asking questions. And, strange as it sounds, it might have been the best thing to happen to this team in years.

Now jump forward to July 2026. Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions are just 90 minutes away from a World Cup semi-final. Their opponents? Norway, a side that had not even qualified for a World Cup since 1998, who have done the impossible by knocking out five-time champions Brazil in the last 16. Erling Haaland is scoring goals at a pace that is hard to believe. England, meanwhile, keep finding ways to get results even when they are not at their best.

This quarter-final in Miami has everything. Drama, tension, and a proper tactical battle. Whether you are a nervous England supporter or just someone who loves a good football story, this is one you will not want to miss. Let’s get into it.

The Turning Point: How Iceland Changed Everything

To understand where England are today, you need to go back to that awful night in Nice. England lost 2-1 to Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016. It was so bad that BBC Sport called it “their worst humiliation since they were knocked out of the 1950 World Cup by USA.” Hodgson resigned within hours. The Football Association scrapped the old plan and started fresh.

What came next was a real period of reflection. The FA put more focus on youth development, changed the coaching set-up, and brought in Gareth Southgate as manager. Southgate knew all about the pressure of tournament football. He had famously missed the penalty that sent England out of Euro 1996. He was about to change what it meant to wear an England shirt.

The Iceland defeat was not just a bad result. It was a fresh start.

England’s Quarter-Final Record: A Look Back

Before Southgate took charge, England’s tournament record was poor. Apart from the 1966 World Cup win, getting knocked out early had become a habit. Penalties, shock exits, and near-misses filled the history books.

From 1990 to 2014, England only reached two quarter-finals. They lost both. The Hodgson years brought nothing at the knockout stage. At the 2010 World Cup, England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the last 16. By 2014, they were out in the group stage.

Everything changed after 2016. England have now reached five major tournament quarter-finals in a row, winning three of them: Sweden in 2018, Ukraine in 2021, and Switzerland in 2024. They lost one, to France in 2022. Tonight, Tuchel’s side are going for a fourth quarter-final win. If they get it, they will reach only their second World Cup semi-final since Bobby Robson’s side made the last four at Italia 1990.

That tells you just how big this match is.

The Southgate Era and a New Way of Thinking

Gareth Southgate’s biggest achievement was not a trophy. It was changing the mindset inside the England dressing room. Under Southgate, tournament football stopped being something England feared and became something they looked forward to. The squad became tougher, better organised, and quietly confident in a way that had not been seen for a long time.

The results showed it. A World Cup semi-final in 2018. A European Championship final in 2021, England’s first major final since 1966. Another European Championship final in 2024, where they went out to Spain. None of that was luck. It showed a team that had worked out how to win big games, even when it was tight.

When Southgate stepped down after Euro 2024 and Tuchel came in, people wondered if the good habits would carry on. So far, it looks like they have.

England’s Quarter-Final Wins and Defeats

England’s three quarter-final victories during the Southgate years are worth looking at:

• Sweden (2018 World Cup, 2-0): A calm, controlled display that felt like a turning point. Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored. England actually looked organised for once.
• Ukraine (Euro 2020, 4-0): The best of the lot. Four goals in Rome with nothing in reply. Harry Kane scored a hat-trick. England fans started to properly believe.
• Switzerland (Euro 2024): It nearly went wrong, but England held their nerve and came through on penalties.

The loss to France in 2022 still hurts. It was a tight 2-1 defeat against the eventual runners-up. Kane missed a penalty that could have changed everything. But the lesson from that night, to stay calm, keep going, and trust the team, seems to have stuck.

Thomas Tuchel’s Campaign: Getting the Job Done

Tuchel’s England have not always been brilliant at this World Cup. Let us be honest. The round of 32 match against DR Congo in Atlanta was a proper scare. Brian Cipenga scored in the seventh minute and it looked like it could all go wrong. But Kane, as he so often does, saved the day. Two goals in the final 15 minutes, including a superb 86th-minute finish, sealed a 2-1 win and reminded everyone why he is captain.

That brace made Kane the first England player to score a World Cup knockout-stage double since Gary Lineker against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-finals. A nice bit of history, given what is at stake tonight.

Then came Mexico in the last 16. The Azteca. The noise. The heat. England had just 33 per cent of the ball and still won 3-2. Kane called it their “best attacking performance so far.” Some reporters there said it was the greatest England World Cup win on foreign soil.

Even when the performances have not been flowing, Tuchel’s clever changes have made the difference. This is a team that knows how to win. In knockout football, that is everything.

Norway: The Surprise Package with a Superstar up Front

Norway are at a World Cup for the first time since 1998, when Egil Olsen took them to France. Ståle Solbakken, the first Norwegian manager since Olsen to get the job done, has built something really exciting.

And then there is Haaland. Seven goals in four games. A goal every 51 minutes. A goal every 14 touches. Those are not the numbers of a footballer. They are the numbers of someone playing a different game to everyone else.

According to FIFA, Haaland’s debut tournament tally makes him the best first-time scorer since Grzegorz Lato’s seven goals for Poland at the 1974 World Cup. Here is how he has done it:

• Iraq 1-4 Norway (Group Stage): Two goals, including a sharp finish and a lucky deflection off the keeper.
• Norway 3-2 Senegal (Group Stage): A lovely finish into the top corner and a side-footed shot off the bar. His fourth goal in two games.
• Norway 2-1 Côte d’Ivoire (Round of 32): A cool 86th-minute winner, sliding in from Patrick Berg’s pass.
• Brazil 1-2 Norway (Round of 16): The moment the world sat up and noticed. A thumping header, then in the 90th minute a left-footed strike through Danilo’s legs and into the far corner. His 62nd international goal. Brilliant.

But Norway are not all about Haaland. Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal captain, has been their creative force, finding space and making things happen just as he does at club level. Patrick Berg has been solid in midfield. Goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland has been superb. And 19-year-old Antonio Nusa of RB Leipzig has been one of the stars of the whole tournament. His curler against Ivory Coast was stunning. Europe’s biggest clubs are watching.

This is Norway’s first-ever World Cup quarter-final. They have nothing to lose, and they have a striker who cannot stop scoring.

Can England Win the Winnable Games?

So, can England do it? Yes. Will it be easy? Absolutely not.

Tuchel’s centre-backs, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi, both know Haaland well from the Premier League. They have faced him for Manchester City many times. They know how he moves and where he likes the ball. The key, as many pundits have said, is to cut off his supply. Haaland is a brilliant finisher, but he needs good service. Stop the ball getting to him in dangerous positions and you limit his threat.

That means keeping Odegaard quiet. Declan Rice, who will go up against his own Arsenal captain in one of the most talked-about battles of the match, must get tight to Odegaard early. Alongside Jude Bellingham and Elliot Anderson, Rice has the legs and the quality to do it. England’s midfield is stronger physically than the Brazil side Norway outplayed in the last round.

There is also a worry at right-back. Djed Spence had a tough game against DR Congo, and Norway’s Antonio Nusa on the left will be a real handful for whoever plays there tonight. Nico O’Reilly might be needed to deal with Alexander Sørloth’s threat in the air.

England will also need to keep more of the ball than they did against Mexico. Norway had more possession than Brazil in the last round and still won. That makes them a tricky team to read.

Still, England go in as favourites. They have been here before. Norway have not. That experience, earned through years of hurt and hard work, could make all the difference.

Can a Fourth Win Change How We See This England Team?

Here is something that does not get talked about enough: consistency. Three wins from four quarter-final appearances is not just a good record. It shows a real change in how this England team handles pressure.

The Iceland loss in 2016 knocked out the arrogance that had built up in the squad. What replaced it was something better: a group of players who actually enjoy playing for England, supported by coaches who do not buckle when things get tough.

A fourth quarter-final win tonight would not just be another result. It would be proof of something that England fans have been quietly starting to believe: that this generation can handle the biggest moments.

Haaland and Norway will push England to their absolute limit. Seven goals, Brazil’s scalp, and a country that is falling back in love with its football team are heading into Miami tonight. Do not take them lightly.

But England have been here before. Norway have not. Sometimes, that is all that matters.

Prediction: England 2-1 Norway

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