Norway vs England Preview: Predicted Lineups, Team News & Tactical Analysis | 2026 World Cup Quarterfinal
Erling Haaland did not just beat Brazil. He buried them. Two goals in the final 11 minutes at MetLife Stadium, a header in the 79th minute and a thunderbolt in the 90th, and suddenly Norway, a nation of 5.4 million that has not been at a World Cup since 1998, are in their first quarterfinal in tournament history. Seven goals in five games. In the battle with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot. And now, a match against England in Miami that nobody had circled when this bracket was drawn.
England got there by doing something that might matter more in Miami than the final scoreline suggests. They won 3-2 at the Azteca with 10 men for the last 36 minutes, Jarell Quansah sent off for a VAR-reviewed red card in the 54th minute, and held on in the most hostile environment remaining in this tournament. Jude Bellingham scored twice in three minutes to put England 2-0 up in the 38th minute. Harry Kane added a penalty in the 60th minute. Mexico pulled it to 3-2 and spent the final half-hour throwing everything at a back line that held. If you want a team with tournament character, England have just demonstrated theirs in circumstances most squads would not survive.
This preview covers predicted lineups, injury news, head-to-head history, the tactical matchup and a score prediction for Saturday's quarterfinal clash at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
When & Where to Watch (USA)
Saturday, July 11 at 5:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM PT
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida
US Coverage (English):
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: FOX Sports app
US Coverage (Spanish):
- TV: Telemundo / Universo
- Streaming: Peacock
Norway vs England Lineups & Injury News
Predicted Lineups & Starting XIs
EnglandENG
NorwayNOREnglandPredictedNorwayPredictedThe predicted starting XIs are listed below and update automatically in the widget above as confirmed lineups drop. Lineups via RotoWire.
Predicted lineups: Coach Stale Solbakken has a clean injury picture and no reason to deviate from the side that eliminated Brazil. Orjan Nyland keeps goal behind a back four of Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem and David Moller Wolfe. Patrick Berg and Sander Berge anchor the midfield with Martin Odegaard free ahead of them, and Alexander Sorloth, Haaland and Antonio Nusa form the attacking three.
The England picture is shaped primarily by Quansah's suspension. He is unavailable for Saturday and Djed Spence is the most likely replacement at right back, returning to the role he held before manager Tuchel restored Quansah against Mexico. Reece James and Marc Guehi didn't train fully due to hamstring issues and are doubts for the game. Jordan Henderson suffered a wrist injury during the celebration and is ruled out for the rest of the tournament. Declan Rice was ill in recent days but should be able to make it. The rest of England's lineup should be unchanged: Jordan Pickford in goal, Ezri Konsa and John Stones in Guehi's replacement as the center-back partnership, Nico O'Reilly at left back, Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson in double pivot, and Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon supporting Kane. Confirm any late fitness developments via RotoWire's injury report and player news before kickoff.
Norway predicted starting XI (4-3-3): Orjan Nyland (GK); Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjorn Heggem, David Moller Wolfe (DEF); Patrick Berg, Sander Berge, Martin Odegaard (MID); Antonio Nusa, Erling Haaland, Alexander Sorloth (FWD).
England predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford (GK); Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Nico O'Reilly (DEF); Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice (DM); Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon (AM); Harry Kane (FWD).
Norway Lineup Notes
Norway have no injury concerns following the Brazil win, and Ryerson's return to the starting right back role after carrying a thigh issue through the group stage has been a significant addition to the defensive structure. Confirm any late fitness updates via RotoWire's injury report and player news, but coach Solbakken is working from a full squad.
Haaland's involvement rate through five tournament games speaks for itself: seven goals, responsible for more than half of Norway's total output, and increasingly sharp in the moments that decide knockout games rather than just the comfortable ones. His 79th minute header against Brazil came from a Andreas Schjelderup cross, a simple delivery into the box that Brazil's center-backs failed to account for. His 90th minute finish was a different kind of statement, collecting inside, stepping past a defender and arrowing a shot into the bottom corner from outside the box. England will know both threats are coming, and knowing has not helped any of the five teams that faced him before Saturday. Odegaard's creative involvement from the midfield zone is the engine behind everything Haaland creates. He has been quietly one of the best players of the tournament in a role most neutrals have overlooked because Haaland demands all the attention.
England Lineup Notes
Quansah is suspended. His red card for the studs-up challenge on Jesus Gallardo was confirmed by VAR in the 54th minute against Mexico, and he serves an automatic one-game ban for Saturday. Reece James and Marc Guehi are doubts due to hamstring issues, and with both right-back options removed from the picture, Spence comes back in at a position that has been England's most exposed throughout this tournament. Henderson suffered a wrist injury during the celebrations and is ruled out for the rest of the competition. Rice is dealing with an illness but should be able to make it. Confirm via RotoWire's injury report and player news if any late fitness development changes manager Tuchel's hand in that position.
Beyond the Quansah suspension, England are in good health. Bellingham ran the full 90 minutes against Mexico without any apparent fitness concern and his two goals in three minutes in the first half were the performance that has defined England's tournament. Pickford, who equaled Peter Shilton's England record of 17 World Cup appearances against Mexico, continues to be the difference in tight moments, with his flying right-hand save to tip away a Jimenez header in the final minutes one of the defining saves of the tournament. Gordon earned his start against Mexico ahead of Rashford and should keep it here. The question for manager Tuchel is whether Spence's defensive involvement at right back changes how Saka pushes forward and whether it creates the same left-channel exposure that allowed Norway to attack freely against Brazil.
Norway vs England Head-to-Head Record
Norway and England have not met at the World Cup before Saturday. Their most significant competitive history is in qualifying, where Norway beat England 2-0 in a famous 1993 result at Ullevaal that effectively ended England's qualification campaign for the 1994 tournament. Beyond that fixture, England have won the majority of friendly meetings between the nations but none in the kind of knockout setting that Saturday's quarterfinal provides. This is uncharted territory for both sides.
Tactical Analysis & Formations
Coach Solbakken's Norway defends in a compact mid-block and relies on winning second balls in the middle third before finding Haaland in the channels between the center-backs or in behind the defensive line. Against Brazil, the system worked because it denied Vinicius Junior and Rayan the space to cross early, funneled Brazil's attacks into areas where Nyland could deal with them, and then executed clinical counterattacks through Odegaard's release passes. England does not play the same way Brazil does, but the principle that Norway's transition offense requires is the same: win the ball in midfield, find the runner in behind before the line resets.
Manager Tuchel's England wants to control the ball through Rice and Anderson, release Bellingham centrally with freedom to arrive late, and use Saka and Gordon's pace to stretch Norway's back four wide before Kane exploits the central space. The crucial variable is what Spence's presence at right back does to England's attacking width. Against Mexico, Quansah pushed forward aggressively on that side and stretched the defensive shape, which is exactly what created the space Bellingham ran into for both goals. Spence offers less of that forward threat, which could funnel England's width onto Saka's side and make Norway's defensive setup more predictable to defend.
The deeper question is whether England's defensive character from the Azteca translates to Miami. Holding on with 10 men in that atmosphere, in that heat, against a crowd that hostile, is the kind of thing that tells you about a team's mentality rather than just its fitness. They will need every bit of it against Haaland.
Norway vs England Odds
This is one of the closest quarterfinal matchups on paper, with Haaland's individual ceiling balanced against England's tournament character and the form of Bellingham and Kane. Check current prices before kickoff, as the lines will move with team news.
| Sportsbook | Norway | Draw | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | +300 | +260 | -118 |
| DraftKings | +310 | +270 | -115 |
| FanDuel | +320 | +260 | -115 |
| bet365 | +310 | +270 | -118 |
| Kalshi | +312 | +251 | -116 |
Odds as of July 10 and likely to move. Shop the best lines at RotoWire's soccer betting odds page and claim bonuses using the best sportsbook promos.
Key Matchups
Erling Haaland vs England's Central Defense
Konsa and Guehi have been England's best defensive partnership of the tournament, but neither has faced a striker operating at Haaland's level in this competition. How they manage his aerial threat from crosses, particularly from Ryerson's side and Sorloth's layoffs, and whether they can prevent him getting a clean half-turn in behind the line on Odegaard's through balls, is the matchup that decides England's quarterfinal.
Jude Bellingham vs Norway's Midfield Block
Bellingham's two goals against Mexico both came from his ability to ghost into the box from a central midfield position before the defense could track him. Berg and Berge are disciplined enough to limit that movement when they are organized, but Bellingham at full speed in the final third has been impossible to stop when he times his runs correctly, and the English double pivot of Rice and Anderson gives him the license to arrive late rather than sit and receive.
Set-Piece Takers
For a full breakdown of corner, free kick and penalty takers for all 48 teams, see RotoWire's 2026 World Cup Set-Piece Takers guide.
Norway
- Corners & free kicks: Martin Odegaard (9), Julian Ryerson (6), Patrick Berg (7), Kristian Thorstvedt, Oscar Bobb
- Penalties: Erling Haaland
England
- Corners & free kicks: Declan Rice (24), Bukayo Saka (3), Elliot Anderson (3), Jordan Henderson (1), Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze, Anthony Gordon, Reece James, Noni Madueke, Ivan Toney
- Penalties: Harry Kane (2), Marcus Rashford
Norway vs England Prediction
Haaland at seven goals is the most dangerous individual remaining in the tournament, and the right-back position England have to defend with Spence if James remains out is their most exploitable weakness at this stage. But England just held on with 10 men at the Azteca for 36 minutes and showed something in that moment that pure talent cannot manufacture. Kane has scored six goals in this tournament. Bellingham is running at a level few players reach in major tournament football. This is genuinely close over 90 minutes and either side going to extra time would not be a shock. This is genuinely close over 90 minutes, and Haaland will get his moments, but England's defensive character and the quality of Bellingham and Kane should be enough to see them through once the tie opens up in extra time.
Score Prediction: Norway 2-3 England (AET)
Upcoming Fixtures
The winner advances to the semifinals and will face the winner of Argentina vs Switzerland. The loser is eliminated.
For the full tournament picture, see RotoWire's 2026 World Cup group previews.
For more coverage, visit RotoWire's World Cup hub for predicted lineups, fantasy rankings, set pieces, betting picks, odds and daily recaps throughout the tournament.
