For most of the last hundred years, Norway against England was a rare fixture and not an especially close one. The two nations had met twelve times without ever playing in a major tournament, and England had won seven of them. Then, on 11 July 2026, they were paired in a World Cup quarter-final in Miami, with Erling Haaland leading Norway against an England side that had just survived a red card and a nervy win over Mexico.
This article looks at norway national football team vs england national football team lineups from that quarter-final in detail, picks out what the earlier teamsheets tell us, and ends with a table of the last ten meetings, an overview of where each side stands in October 2026, and five FAQs.
A Fixture With a Short History
The two teams first met in Oslo in May 1937, and England won 6–0. They have now played 13 times, counting the 2026 quarter-final. England have eight wins (counting the extra-time victory in Miami), Norway two and three games were drawn. England have scored 30 goals and Norway 8.
Two caveats on those numbers. First, 11v11’s record lists the 2026 match as a 1–1 draw, because that was the score after 90 minutes; England won it 2–1 after extra time. Second, Sports Mole counts the same way as I have, with England on eight wins. Neither is wrong, but the totals will look different depending on which site you read.
The early results were one-sided. From 1937 to 1980, England beat Norway 6–0, 4–0, 4–1, 6–1 and 4–0 in succession. Norway’s two wins, in 1981 and 1993, both came in World Cup qualifying in Oslo, and both are remembered in Norway as the great upsets. The 1981 victory, 2–1 at Ullevaal, produced one of Norwegian football’s most famous radio commentaries. The 1993 win, 2–0, followed a 1–1 draw at Wembley in October 1992, where David Platt scored for England and Kjetil Rekdal equalised for Norway with 13 minutes left.
Norway 1–2 England: The 2026 World Cup Quarter-Final
The setting
The match was played on Saturday 11 July 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. It was Norway’s first World Cup quarter-final and the first time they had gone this far in the tournament, after a run that included a 2–1 win over Brazil in the round of 16. England had beaten Mexico 3–2 at the Azteca six days earlier. Both sides were in the lower half of the draw, and the winner would play Argentina in the semi-final.
England’s starting XI
Thomas Tuchel made two changes from the Mexico game. This is the confirmed lineup, reported by Yahoo Sports and SportBible (4-2-3-1):
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Defence: Ezri Konsa (at right-back), John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Nico O’Reilly
Midfield: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson
Attack: Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, with Harry Kane (captain) as the striker
The back line was the story. Jarell Quansah was suspended after his red card against Mexico, and Reece James, who had a hamstring injury during the group stage, was fit but only on the bench, with Tuchel saying he might not last 90 minutes. Djed Spence, who had struggled in the previous round, was also left among the substitutes. That left Tuchel to move Konsa, a natural centre-back, to right-back and bring Stones into the middle. The other change was Madueke for Bukayo Saka in attack.
There were fitness questions too. Rice had been dealing with a stomach bug and Guéhi with a hamstring problem, but both trained on the Friday and started. Jordan Henderson was not in the matchday squad after surgery on his arm following an injury in the celebrations after the Mexico game.
England’s bench included James, Spence, Rashford, Livramento, Dean Henderson, Burn, Mainoo, Rogers, Watkins, Saka, Eze, Toney, Trafford and Quansah.
Norway’s starting XI
Ståle Solbakken’s side lined up in a 4-3-3, which FotMob shows as a 4-1-2-3:
Goalkeeper: Ørjan Nyland
Defence: Julian Ryerson, Kristoffer Ajer, Torbjørn Heggem, David Møller Wolfe
Midfield: Sander Berge, Patrick Berg, Martin Ødegaard (captain)
Attack: Alexander Sørloth, Erling Haaland, Andreas Schjelderup
Norway’s bench had Aursnes, Bobb, Nusa, Pedersen, Østigård, Strand Larsen, Tangvik, Selvik, Bjørkan, Langås, Thorsby, Aasgaard, Thorstvedt, Hauge and Falchener. Marcus Pedersen came on at 68′, Østigård and Jørgen Strand Larsen replaced Heggem and Haaland at 90′, and Thelo Aasgaard came on at 105′.
How the match went
The first half was quiet until the hydration break. Soon after, Norway took the lead: Schjelderup scored in the 36th minute with a cross-shot. England equalised just before half-time, as Bellingham scored in the second minute of stoppage time (45+2′). Early in the second half, Heggem put the ball in the net for Norway, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR check showed that Haaland had pushed Anderson before the corner was taken, and the corner was retaken. England also had a penalty appeal turned down by VAR.
Pickford made two key saves, tipping over an effort from Sørloth and parrying a Haaland header around the post. The match went to extra time at 1–1, and England won it quickly. Bellingham scored again in the third minute of extra time, the 93rd minute, to make it 2–1. It was his second goal of the game. Norway did not find another goal, and Haaland was replaced at 90′ by Strand Larsen.
FIFA’s official figures show how close it was. Norway had 13 shots to England’s 14, with England putting seven on target to Norway’s four. Possession was 44 percent to 47, with the other 9 percent classed as “in contest”. ESPN’s expected-goals numbers were 0.77 for Norway and 0.96 for England. Heggem was one of several players who went into the book, and Ajer was booked in the 59th minute. England went through to their third semi-final in the last four World Cups, as ESPN put it, first since 2018.
The Link Between 2014 and 2026
The most interesting detail in the lineups is how far back it goes. In the previous meeting, a friendly at Wembley on 3 September 2014, two of the same players appeared:
- Ørjan Nyland was in goal for Norway, and he was the keeper Rooney beat from the penalty spot.
- John Stones started at right-back for England.
Twelve years later, both were in the quarter-final lineups, with Stones now a centre-back and Nyland still in goal. That 2014 game was Wayne Rooney’s first as England captain, and he scored the only goal from the spot in the 68th minute after Raheem Sterling was fouled. Roy Hodgson gave debuts to Calum Chambers and Fabian Delph. The attendance was 40,181, a record low at the new Wembley at the time, and the match was described as a forgettable friendly.
Earlier Meetings: What Is Known
2012: England won 1–0 in Oslo on 26 May, in front of 21,496 at Ullevaal. Ashley Young scored in the ninth minute, ending a five-game winless run against Norway that went back to 1980. It was Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge.
1995 and 1994: Both were goalless draws, in Oslo on 11 October 1995 and at Wembley on 22 May 1994.
1993: Norway won 2–0 in Oslo in a World Cup qualifier on 2 June. Øyvind Leonhardsen scored before half-time and Lars Bohinen after it.
1992: A 1–1 draw at Wembley on 14 October, with Platt scoring for England and Rekdal for Norway.
1980 and 1981: England won 4–0 at Wembley on 10 September 1980 and Norway won 2–1 in Oslo on 9 September 1981, both in World Cup qualifying.
1937–1966: England won all four friendlies: 6–0 (1937), 4–0 (1938), 4–1 (1949) and 6–1 (1966).
I could not find reliable full lineups for the games before 2012, so I have left them out.
Last 10 Meetings (Table)
| # | Date | Competition | Home team | Score | Away team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 Jul 2026 | World Cup, quarter-final | Norway | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | England | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens. Schjelderup; Bellingham (2) |
| 2 | 3 Sep 2014 | International friendly | England | 1–0 | Norway | Wembley. Rooney (pen) |
| 3 | 26 May 2012 | International friendly | Norway | 0–1 | England | Ullevaal, Oslo. Young |
| 4 | 11 Oct 1995 | International friendly | Norway | 0–0 | England | Oslo |
| 5 | 22 May 1994 | International friendly | England | 0–0 | Norway | Wembley |
| 6 | 2 Jun 1993 | World Cup qualifier | Norway | 2–0 | England | Ullevaal, Oslo. Leonhardsen, Bohinen |
| 7 | 14 Oct 1992 | World Cup qualifier | England | 1–1 | Norway | Wembley. Platt; Rekdal |
| 8 | 9 Sep 1981 | World Cup qualifier | Norway | 2–1 | England | Oslo |
| 9 | 10 Sep 1980 | World Cup qualifier | England | 4–0 | Norway | Wembley |
| 10 | 29 Jun 1966 | International friendly | Norway | 1–6 | England | Oslo |
Across these ten matches, England have won five, Norway two and three were drawn. The goals are England 17, Norway 7. The scorers for 1981, 1980 and 1966 are not listed because I could not verify them, and the 11v11 database shows the 2026 match as a draw on its 90-minute score.
What the Lineups Show
Haaland-centred, but with more around him than in the past. Norway’s 2026 front three, Sørloth, Haaland and Schjelderup, was a mix of a target man, a goal-scorer and a winger who cuts in. Ødegaard behind them is the creative player. The shape was not a sit-deep-and-counter plan, which fits with how they had been playing in the rest of the tournament: Norway scored 13 goals in six matches.
England reshaped the back line out of necessity. Playing Konsa at right-back and Stones in the middle was a decision forced by suspension and injury, rather than a tactical idea. Both did well, which suggests Tuchel will have options in that area for the next cycle.
Tuchel’s substitutions were a theme. In the extra-time period, England brought on Saka for Madueke and others from the bench, and the winning goal came shortly after. The same manager’s substitutions in the semi-final against Argentina were widely criticised, which shows how much the same approach can look different depending on the result.
Set pieces mattered. The disallowed Norway goal came from a corner routine that had to be retaken, and England’s penalty appeal was also denied by VAR. Neither side got decisive help from officials, which kept the game level.
Where the Two Teams Are Now
England
England went on to lose the semi-final to Argentina and beat France in the third-place match. In the Nations League they lost 3–2 to Spain, then beat Czechia 2–0 away, Croatia 7–0 and Czechia 3–0 at Wembley, with 14 goals in four games. Harry Kane scored twice in the last one on his 125th cap, equalling Peter Shilton’s record. England are ranked fourth in the world, and Tuchel remains in charge.
Norway
Norway finished in fifth place at the World Cup, their best ever, with Haaland scoring seven goals. They are ranked 19th. The autumn has been a harder test: they beat Denmark 3–2 in Oslo on 24 September, with Haaland scoring the winner, then lost 2–1 to Portugal at home, 2–1 away to Wales and 2–1 away to Portugal in the Nations League. Haaland limped off against Portugal, and his fitness is a concern. Solbakken is still the head coach and Ødegaard the captain. Haaland has 65 goals for Norway.
What a Rematch Might Look Like
No fixture is scheduled between the two. If they were drawn together, here is what to expect.
England would probably start Pickford, Rice, Bellingham, Gordon and Kane, with competition at right-back between James, Spence and Konsa, and a rotating group of wingers including Saka, Madueke and Rashford.
Norway would likely keep Nyland, Ajer, Berge, Ødegaard, Haaland and Schjelderup. The squad is young enough that most of the 2026 side should still be together, with Nusa and Bobb pushing for starting places.
Where to Find Official Lineups
Confirmed teamsheets are normally released around an hour before kick-off. The most reliable places are the FA’s match centre (englandfootball.com), the Norwegian FA (fotball.no), FIFA’s match pages for tournament games, and match-data sites such as ESPN and FotMob. Any lineup labelled “predicted” or “expected” is a guess: before the quarter-final, SportBible’s “leaked” XI turned out to be right, but not every preview is.
Final Thoughts
The norway national football team vs england national football team lineups from the 2026 quarter-final show a match between two teams that looked evenly matched on paper and were evenly matched in practice. England won with a make-do back line and a Bellingham double. Norway lost after a disallowed goal and a winner in extra time, but they left the tournament with their best-ever finish and a squad that looks set to remain a threat.
What makes the fixture interesting is that, after 13 meetings, it now has real history behind it. Next time the two meet, Nyland and Stones may not be around to link the lineups, but the matchup between Haaland and England’s defence will likely still be the centrepiece.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What was the score in Norway vs England at the 2026 World Cup?
England won 2–1 after extra time in the quarter-final on 11 July 2026 in Miami Gardens. Andreas Schjelderup scored for Norway in the 36th minute, and Jude Bellingham scored twice for England, in the 45th minute plus two and the 93rd minute.
2. What were the lineups for Norway vs England in the quarter-final?
Norway started Nyland; Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Møller Wolfe; Berge, Berg, Ødegaard; Sørloth, Haaland, Schjelderup. England started Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane (captain).
3. What is the head-to-head record between Norway and England?
In 13 meetings, England have won eight, Norway two and three were drawn, with England scoring 30 goals to Norway’s 8. Some sites list the 2026 game as a draw because it was 1–1 after 90 minutes, which makes the record seven wins, four draws and two losses for England.
4. Why did England play Konsa at right-back against Norway?
Jarell Quansah was suspended after his red card against Mexico, and Reece James was only fit enough for the bench after a hamstring injury, so Tuchel moved Konsa to right-back and brought John Stones into central defence.
5. When will Norway and England play again?
I could not find a scheduled match. England are due to play Croatia and Spain in the Nations League in November, and Norway are in a different Nations League group, so any new meeting would have to come from a friendly or a future tournament draw.
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