Norway vs. England
(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports illustration)Norway: If you’re catching Haaland fever
Norway is back in the tournament for the first time since 1998, and the Vikings have stormed the beaches in their return. Norway finished second in the group behind two strong wins; they dispatched Ivory Coast in the first knockout round before besting Brazil in the Round of 16. (Their only blemish was a 4-1 loss to France, where they played their second-stringers and allowed Ousmane Dembélé to score a hat trick. Happens to the best of us.)
Much of Norway’s success has been due to a magnificent, blonde-haired giant: 25-year-old striker Erling Haaland, who has more than lived up to the hype on the global stage. Haaland is near the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals, which alone ties the total goals scored by Norway in the three World Cup appearances before 2026. He’s scored in every game he’s played in — it’s not a coincidence that he didn’t play in their loss to France — including three game-winners. Against Brazil, Haaland scored twice, once with his head and once with a ridiculously perfect shot under pressure.
Norway, as a European team without a history of success, was a bit of a dark horse heading into the tournament, but they’re definitely worth the buy-in as an adoptive team. Goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland has also been outstanding, saving a penalty against Brazil; Norway also has an excellent fanbase, whose Viking Row celebration is an incredibly cool show of solidarity. And most of all, they have Haaland using every inch of his 6’5″ height to humiliate seasoned opponents. They’re been one of the most fun teams to watch so far, and will hopefully keep the party going in the knockout stage.
England: If you like an established upstart
Yes, “established upstart” is an oxymoron, but England has been one of the bleakest teams across World Cup history. The country where association football was created has only won the World Cup once, in 1966; since then, they’ve only made it past the quarterfinals twice, ending in fourth (aka last place among the semifinalists) both of those times. And after entering the World Cup with high hopes, England has squeaked its way through the earlier rounds of the tournament to end up here.
Earlier on in the tournament, cries of “It’s coming home” felt a little hollow, but the Three Lions’ win over Mexico actually held a lot of promise. England gritted out a 3-2 win behind a brilliant two-minute brace from Jude Bellingham — and they did it while playing the last 40-ish minutes down a player, after Jarell Quansah picked up a straight red card early in the second half.
So maybe you’re riding high on Harry Kane being in the running for the Golden Boot. Maybe you think Jude Bellingham is dreamy, or you feel bad for Jordan Henderson, who broke his wrist falling over a wall while celebrating the team’s win over Mexico. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, maybe you’re feeling some sort of reverse revolution situation — i.e., you think the American should’ve never thrown the tea overboard in the first place. Whatever the reason, this England team is going to be a disruptive force in the next round, and they’ll be a lot of fun to watch.