The Six Problems England Must Solve Against Norway

After three weeks of hard graft, comebacks and late drama, England will face Norway in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup this weekend. Thomas Tuchel’s side have enjoyed one of the easier routes to this point of the competition, but it hasn’t exactly felt simple getting here.

Regardless, Norway will be a step up. The Vikings’ squad is headlined by superstar Erling Haaland, supported by seasoned Champions League regulars like Martin Ødegaard and Julian Ryerson, among others. Norway are more than capable of beating England on their day — but if Harry Kane and co. do these six key things, they will have every chance of reaching the semi-finals.

1. Stop Haaland

Morgan Rogers put it best.

“Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland?” he asked a reporter at England’s pre-match press conference. “I don’t think they ever have, but we’re going to try.”

The point is not that England believe they have no chance of keeping Haaland quiet — just that the players are as aware as anyone that there is every chance they won’t stop him. Few teams do.

The Manchester City forward has scored 27 goals in his last 14 competitive outings for Norway, scoring in every single one of those games — including in all four of his appearances at World Cup 2026. He could become the first player to score in each of his first five games at a tournament since Colombia’s James Rodríguez in 2014, and the first European player to do so since Germany’s Gerd Müller in 1970.

The thing with Haaland is that he can spend long periods doing very little — which can lull defenders into thinking they have things under control. He is averaging just 24.8 touches per 90 at the World Cup, the third-lowest rate of any player with at least 300 minutes played. Only a handful of players have covered a higher proportion of ground by walking than him (40.3%). Yet he is second only to Lionel Messi for goals scored with seven.

He comes to life in key moments. Of his 18 shots, 17 have been first-time efforts. His average of 0.24 xG per shot is the highest of any player with 10 or more shots at the tournament. Without being consistently involved, he is a colossal and constant threat.

As Rogers later suggested, it might be a better idea to “try and stop how the ball goes into him and how he gets his chances” rather than attempting to stop Haaland himself.

2. Cut Out the Middle Man

One of the main routes to Haaland is through midfield maestro Martin Ødegaard.

The Norway captain recorded an assist in each of his first three World Cup games — becoming the first player to do so since Germany’s Michael Ballack in 2002. Only Brahim Díaz, Bruno Guimarães and Michael Olise have set up more goals at this World Cup than him.

Ødegaard plays a key role in progressing the ball through the lines. He is joint-first at the World Cup for passes that broke the opposition’s defensive line while under high pressure — an opponent within 2 metres — with seven, a tally matched only by Olise (who has played a game more) and Enzo Fernández.

His passes may not go directly to Haaland every time, but they are central to finding their talisman in dangerous areas. Keeping Ødegaard quiet could be the key. If England are unable to stop the problem that is Haaland, they could look to extinguish the fire at its source.

3. Go on the Attack — Down Norway’s Right

England will need to commit to attacking as much as they focus on defending. There is every reason to expect Haaland will score — so the plan must be to score at least twice.

Norway are far from infallible at the back. They scored 12 and conceded nine across their first five games at World Cup 2026. Should they win while conceding here, they would become only the second side ever to reach the semi-finals having scored and conceded 10 or more goals — the other being Germany in 1954. They have made it this far because of their attack, not their defence.

Some important caveats are needed. Brazil scored against them only with a last-gasp penalty, and four of the nine goals conceded came with a second-string side playing against France. However, they also conceded the only goal Iraq scored before crashing out, twice to Senegal and once to the Ivory Coast.

There is a pattern worth noting.

Norway have conceded three open-play goals from crosses down their right side — one each against Iraq, Senegal and France. No other team has conceded more from a specific side of the pitch at World Cup 2026. They have also faced more shots from crosses — within 10 seconds of the delivery — than any other team in the tournament (22).

England, meanwhile, lead World Cup 2026 alongside Egypt for headed goals with four, and have scored three goals from crosses delivered from their left. Anthony Gordon could play a decisive role.

4. Balance Intensity With Conserving Energy

It wouldn’t be a World Cup without the climate or location playing a part.

Against Mexico in Mexico City, it was altitude that was supposedly England’s biggest challenge. In Miami this weekend, it will be the heat.

When the game kicks off at 5pm local time, the temperature is set to be 33 degrees Celsius — and with typical Florida humidity, it will reportedly feel like 43 degrees at kick-off according to the BBC’s weather forecast.

Tuchel has spoken explicitly about wanting his team to play like a Premier League team. “The Premier League is a very physical league, a very direct league,” he said at his first press conference as manager. “We should be proud enough of the culture and the style of English football to implement this. We have to increase the intensity in our games. I want to have more ball recoveries in the opponent’s half.”

That intensity has been a hallmark of their World Cup 2026 campaign — and without it, they would not have reached this stage.

England rank second of the eight remaining sides for PPDA at 10.2, behind only Spain (8.7). Their numbers are skewed by the period against Mexico when they sat back with 10 men — only nine-man Qatar against Canada and Cape Verde against Spain applied fewer pressures in the opposition half in a single game.

There will be a temptation to press Norway into submission this weekend. They should stick to their gameplan — but must also recognise the conditions. England will need to rest when they have the ball and press intelligently rather than relentlessly.

5. Mop Up the Second Balls

Norway are not a limited footballing side, but they are happy to go long to progress up the pitch. The decision to play the 6ft 5in Alexander Sørloth on the right flank is a direct reflection of that.

Only Paraguay (49) and Australia (28) have played more goal-kicks into the opposition’s half at this World Cup than Norway (26). Their most common line-breaking pass combination is goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland to Sørloth.

If England press high, Norway will be more than happy to boot the ball towards their two giants at the other end. From there, winning duels and second balls will be crucial.

England have the second-best overall duel success rate of any team at the World Cup (54.5%), while Norway (46.2%) rank fourth from bottom — ahead of only Austria, New Zealand and Haiti.

Winning the first contact is one thing. Mopping up the second ball is more important — and it is precisely what England’s midfield three excel at.

6. Use Their Tournament Experience

England need to draw on their previous successes in major tournaments. Who would have thought we would be saying that when, 10 years ago, they were being knocked out of Euro 2016 by Iceland?

Following Gareth Southgate’s appointment after that tournament, England returned to the sharp end of major international football. Their worst performance in a World Cup or Euros under Southgate was being knocked out by France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals. They reached Euros finals in 2021 and 2024, and the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

Reaching the last eight this time means England have now reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the 11th time — only Brazil and Germany have done so more (both 14).

By contrast, Norway are the new kids on the block. This is the first time they have reached the quarter-finals of any major international competition. Their victories over Ivory Coast and Brazil were their first two wins in knockout football at any major tournament.

While the entire Norwegian team are making their first appearances on this stage, Jordan Pickford — assuming he starts — will be making his 18th appearance for England at World Cups alone, overtaking Peter Shilton as England’s most experienced player at the tournament.

Pickford, Kane and co. know what it feels like to play under immense pressure at this level. Norway, for all their talent, are learning on the job. That difference in experience could prove decisive at World Cup 2026.

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