SANDWICH, MASSACHUSETTS – If there was some doubt as to whether England were favourites in Mexico City, they cannot ignore or avoid that tag in Miami. The draw has opened up for England in a way that would make even Gareth Southgate blush: DR Congo, Mexico and Norway for a place in a World Cup semi-final. None of those are currently ranked in the top 18 in the world.
Yet if Mexico was a test of England’s steel and ability to cope in adversity and atmospheric pressure, Norway is a step up in quality. Like England, there is a sense of incremental improvement as they move through the knockout rounds. We analyse six reasons for Norway to be confident of causing a second upset on the spin.
Haaland is quite good
I’m not promising to tell you anything ground-breaking here, but the two best centre-forwards in world football will meet in Miami. This is Haaland’s debut major tournament and he has led the line in outrageously efficient fashion. We know he doesn’t need lots of touches – he won’t against England either.
Haaland’s international goalscoring record is even better than his club numbers. You know how we talk of 20-goal per season strikers? Well Haaland has now done that in 2025-26, but for his country. He has got as many international goals in his career as Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he is 25. To repeat: quite good.
