England have reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup following a heroic 3-2 victory over Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, with Thomas Tuchel's side now set to face Norway in the last eight12:32, 06 Jul 2026Updated 12:32, 06 Jul 2026One step closer. England are in the quarter-finals of the World Cup after beating Mexico 3-2 in their own backyard.The Three Lions produced one of their all-time best tournament performances to topple the co-hosts, despite going down to 10 men midway through the second half. Two goals from Jude Bellingham before half-time and a Harry Kane penalty was enough to send England through to the last eight.Thomas Tuchel's side will now take on Norway in Miami on Saturday (kick-off 10pm UK time) for a place in the semi-finals. And it's Norway's stunning 2-0 victory over Brazil, courtesy of a late Erling Haaland double, which has changed the dynamic of England's path to glory - which prior to beating DR Congo in the last 32 was set to be the hardest in World Cup history.Initially, England were projected to have a run of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Spain. Those four countries boast an average FIFA ranking of 5.75 as per the last update on June 11.‌Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletterBut now with 31st-ranked Norway in the mix, England's route has got easier - at least statistically. The average ranking of their projected opponents from this point shoots up to 11.3 - or 11.7 if France make it to the final instead of Spain.Norway, of course, showed their quality by beating five-time winners Brazil, so they definitely aren't to be understimated and rankings count for nothing on the pitch. But how does England's route to winning the World Cup compare to that of their rivals?France's likely run of Morocco, Spain and England would be average at 4.3. However, if Argentina reach the final and make it a replay of the 2022 edition, that would make it 3.3 for the French, who are ranked third in the world.‌For Spain, it's more complex. The European champions - ranked second in the world behind Argentina - haven't booked their ticket to the quarter-finals, as they're due to face Portugal on Monday.Will England win the World Cup? Give us your prediction in the comments section.Their projected run currently looks like this: Portugal, Belgium, France and Argentina. That comes to an average of 4.5, plus the added hurdle of needing to get past Portugal.‌Argentina also aren't in the last eight, as they'll face Egypt on Tuesday. Their projected run of Egypt, Colombia, England and Spain would come to an average ranking of 12.England's projected route to the World Cup finalQuarter-final vs Norway - Miami (10pm Saturday, July 11)Semi-final vs Argentina - Atlanta (8pm Wednesday, July 15)Final vs Spain - New Jersey (8pm Sunday, July 19)Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Content cannot be displayed without consentChoose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌