Noruega vs Inglaterra: Cuartos de final de la Copa del Mundo 2026

The teams are out! England in white, led by a stern-looking Harry Kane; Norway, who will wear red, by an equally serious Martin Odegaard … though of course Erling Haaland, last in line, wears a look of detached amusement. Anthems to be sung, after which you can turn the volume on your TV set back up. We'll be off in a few minutes!

Pre-match postbag: the tying-up of threads. “We (there may be exceptions) want England to win, so let's get that out the way. Question is, if they're to lose, who is it better to lose to? Lose here, and it feels like losing a Premier League game, say between the second and third in the table, a point behind the leaders with three weeks to go. Pretty awful, but – depending on exactly how it happened – familiar and understandable. Lose by two goals against Messi's Argentina, and that's nearly a final, so there's the horror of all the what-ifs that go along with that, plus seething resentment that it'll all be about the great man. France in the final (probably)? Somehow that's not computing yet, but there's something numbing about it in prospect. May be a Gallic shrug of the shoulders, in homage?†– Charles Antaki

“There's been a bit of talk up here about how a lot of Scots seem to root only for whoever happens to be playing England. It's not strictly true. My new kitten Miguel Thor is not that fussed and just wants a good game of football. His brothers Diego, Carlos and Louis are the same. May the best team win†– Simon McMahon

“Woah woah woah. While Graham Taylor's treatment by the press was obviously vile, let's not rewrite history. He flat out refused to pick Waddle or Beardsley despite their scintillating club form and gave the impression he only picked Gascoigne under duress. He was comfortable playing the way he did at Villa, lumping the ball up so a tall striker could head it down to David Platt. Apart from the nadir of Capello, it's the ugliest football England has ever played, and El Tel was a breath of fresh air the minute he came in†– Rob, London

“Over hearing about the heat. We have prepared as best we can. Also played in a winter World Cup in 2010 and we underperformed†– Kyle Green

“I will carry on booing the hydration breaks thank you very much! Yes they are needed for conditions like this, most people would agree. What I struggle to see is how this rule does need to apply evenly. The two teams impacted by the heat are given the same break and can gain the same advantage, it doesn't impact any other match or any other result. Given the FA, loathe as I am to credit them, currently allow for cooling breaks at the referees discretion, clearly they think it doesn't need to apply evenly†– David Meakins

“That golf game made me change my allegiance to Norway. Et tu Kane?†– krishnamoorthy v

Ellie Goulding latest: “Ellie is performing a song now!†reports David Hytner. “So God knows whether she's on again at HT. This is what she said on her socials earlier: ‘Performing at half-time for England vs Norway has me feeling like truly anything could happen…' †From this we can conclude: NFL > Fifa. You didn't get this sort of confusion with Bad Bunny.

Some sad news to bring you: Antonio Rattín has died at the age of 84. Rattín won six league titles with Boca Juniors, though he's best remembered for his defiant reaction to being sent off against England at Wembley in the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup. For those unfamiliar with the tale, this is a brilliant potted history from an old Joy of Six, courtesy of the great Barney Ronay. Rest well, Antonio.

Still contentious, still vaguely puzzling and still seen as no more than the silver medal controversy of England's winning run in 1966 (overshadowed by the brouhaha of Geoff Hurst's second goal in the final). The sending off of the Argentina captain Antonio Rattin during his team's quarter-final against England has since been woven into the sporting sub-plot of intercontinental rivalry. More simply, it was a baffling decision; and something of a mini-tragedy in that it robbed that tournament of what might have been one of its outstanding matches.

It was already a feisty game when, 35 minutes in, the German referee Rudolf Kreitlein abruptly ordered Rattin from the field for reasons that remain unclear. Kreitlein later pointed to “violence of the tongueâ€, the implication being that Rattin, with whom he did not share a language, had been swearing at him (the language point is a little disingenuous: abuse is generally quite easy to pick up in any tongue). Kreitlein didn't help himself by later adding that he “did not like the look†on Rattin's face.

Certainly the look on Rattin's face as he leaves the field still makes for a compelling tableau: there he goes, looking back, cursing, clenching his fists, asking coaching staff for an interpreter to make his case, almost coming back on to the pitch at one point, and gently wiping his hands on a union flag pennant, drawing V-signs and straight-arm type gestures from the home crowd.

This was a tragedy for Rattin, but also a great shame for the tournament. The BBC commentary on the game describes him at the toss as “Antonio Rattin, one of the greatest players in the worldâ€. George Cohen later claimed Argentina were probably the best team England played at the tournament: “They were a very, very good technical side. If they hadn't resorted to all the physical stuff they might well have beaten us. We saw how good they were when we played them in 1964 [when England were beaten 1-0 in Brazil].â€

And still nobody really knows what it was all about. Cohen suggested Rattin was sent off for “trying to run the gameâ€, specifically for opening up an abrasive player-ref dialogue that was, by all reports, quite alien in western European football culture at the time. Among English observers there is a prevailing truism that Argentina had played dirtily. The statistics suggest otherwise: Argentina committed 19 fouls to England's 33. Cohen, for his part, noted the opposition's mastery of “the snidey things, the spitting and pulling the short hairs on your neck, pulling your earâ€.

Rattin's view: “Both sides were giving as good as they got. We were not the size of Chinamen, we were big players, but England had some tough characters like Nobby Stiles. The sending-off should never have happened and it wouldn't have done if I could speak a word of German. All I wanted to do was talk to the referee, but the next thing I knew he was pointing off the pitch. ‘Quiero a un interprete (I want an interpreter).' I must have said it 20 or 30 times, pointing to my armband.â€

Kreitlein pointed to the dressing rooms. Rattin lingered, infuriated, the match was decided by Geoff Hurst's second-half header, and a World Cup classic that might have been wasn't.

A peek inside the England dressing room. Three Lions: the sadness in their eyes.

England vibes man Jordan Henderson – who is technically on a booking tonight and in danger of missing the semis, but, well, y'know – talks to ITV. “[My wrist] is alright thanks. [Smiles broadly if a bit sheepishly] Not me finest hour, I know! … the main job was to go there and win and progress to the quarter-final, and we managed to do that, so that's the main thing … a tough couple of days … the doctors and surgeons in Kansas were amazing … just delighted to be part of the squad again today … we showed character [against Mexico] and we'll have to do the same against a very good Norwegian side … good players … a tough test … if we're the best version of ourselves, I'm confident we'll go through.â€

And could he be fit for a potential semi-final or final? He laughs. “We'll cross that bridge when we come to it!â€

A dispatch from our man Ed Aarons in Miami.

There's lots of local supporters at the game who have decided to pick sides now that the hosts are out. I just bumped into a giant Mexico fan who has thrown his considerable weight behind Norway after his team was eliminated by England in the last round. He definitely looks the part anyway! Can almost imagine him leading the line with Erling Haaland and Alexander Sorloth.

Pre-match postbag: the conditions. “Silly hydration breaks eh, let's all boo vociferously. Get over it and grow up! (Not you specifically, Scott, just the increasingly vocal and ill-advised majority who think heatstroke is something you get after the tenth pint in Magaluf.) If the rules apply for one game they have to apply for every game, regardless of whether it's a rainy night in the North-east or a potentially life-threatening match in Miami. Yes, we all agree the breaks have been completely and cynically commercialised (quelle surprise), but they are obviously necessary in games like this†– Julian Menz

“I hope England trained for the absurd heat by playing walking football†– Ian Copestake

“It seems they calculate ‘feels like' differently in the USA. A Canadian ‘humidex' calculator is frightening. It says 33C at 71% RH: the Humidex is: 47 (117F). Only medically supervised work can continue. They'll need a water break every five minutes – think of the ad revenue! Seriously, that sounds dangerous†– Nigel in balmy 27C Toronto

Thomas Tuchel talks to ITV. “I hope [the players] feel good … I hope they feel prepared … now it's their moment … they know everything … it's time to let go and release our energy and give it a go … we need to play with freedom … all-in … that is what a quarter-final is for … Reece James is available but maybe not for 90 minutes … I'd like to have him as an option from the bench … the goal is to stop their front line … height and physicality … we want to be strong from set pieces … we have a strong bench to finish the match off … spend more time in the opponent's half … especially in these conditions.â€

Pre-match postbag: Harry and Don. “In light of today's revelations about his golfing partners while Stateside, does Harry Kane's lucky mulligan for the penalty retake in England's opener against Croatia now not look very suspicious??? Of course it doesn't, but hey, let's get the excuses in early, in case England go and win the whole bloody thing!†– Justin Kavanagh

“Trump is a man who has been found in a civil court case to have sexually abused E Jean Carroll (and has been accused of sexual abuse by numerous other women). As President of the United States, his record is demonising immigrants, carrying out illegal wars, tearing up environmental protections and overseas aid, and prioritising the interests of the super rich over those of anyone else. Choosing to play golf with him is a political choice†– Corin Metcalfe

“If Bellingham gets a yellow, Kane only has to call on his mate Orange†– Ian Copestake

England make two changes to the team that started against Mexico. Ezri Konsa takes the troubled right-back spot off the suspended Jarell Quansah, making room for John Stones in the centre of defence. In attack, Noni Madueke starts on the right ahead of Bukayo Saka. Jordan Pickford makes his 18th World Cup appearance, breaking a record jointly held with Peter Shilton for most games played â at the finals.

Norway make one change to their starting XI following the win over Brazil. Andreas Schjelderup, who set up both goals on Sunday, replaces Antonio Nusa, the only player in the Norway squad on a booking.

Norway: Nyland, Ryerson, Ajer, Heggem, Wolfe, Odegaard, Berge, Berg, Sorloth, Haaland, Schjelderup.
Subs: Tangvik, Selvik, Thorsby, Ostigard, Larsen, Aursnes, Bjorkan, Pedersen, Thorstvedt, Aasgaard, Bobb, Hauge, Langas, Falchener, Nusa.

England: Pickford, Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O'Reilly, Anderson, Rice, Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane.
Subs: Dean Henderson, Trafford, Rashford, Chalobah, Burn, Mainoo, Rogers, Watkins, Eze, Toney, James, Jordan Henderson, Saka, Spence.

Referee: Clement Turpin (France).

Pre-match postbag: the Taylor letters. “With you 100% about Graham Taylor. He seemed out of his depth at the time but I think history has shown that he did the best he could what he was given. Of the three years he was in charge, he was without Paul Gascoigne for a good half of that time, he lost John Barnes in the ‘94 qualifiers lost Barnes to injury in the 94 qualifiers, had a lot of the Italia 90 team retire – Bryan Robson, Peter Shilton, Terry Butcher – or on their way out- Gary Lineker, Chris Waddle etc. Any fans moaning about whatever may happen later tonight would do good to remember an England midfield once consisting of Andy Sinton, Carlton Palmer, Tony Daley and David Batty. RIP Graham†– Dave Estherby

“In 2012, I saw Graham Taylor at Oslo airport. As he was walking to his flight, dozens of England fans showed enormous, genuine affection for him, and he responded graciously and generously. A great man. His travelling companion, Alan Green, had been disturbing everyone in the business class lounge by reading his contract out loud line-by-line and moaning†– Andrew Goudie

Feeling stressed ahead of kick-off? Good! What would the point of any of this be, if you simply didn't care? Just thank your lucky stars you're not lining up in the tunnel, waiting, contemplating, anticipating, possibly hyperventilating. Some players deal with this sort of thing better than others. Look!

… and while we're on the subject of photo galleries, this exercise in slit-scanning – a process which has a longer and more varied history in sports photography than you may imagine – is great fun as well.

You won't need reminding that tonight's game could go to extra time and penalty kicks. So if it indeed goes all the way, what on earth should Harry Kane do if he wins the toss? Mo Salah has the answer …

England have four players walking the disciplinary tightrope this evening. Jude Bellingham was booked against DR Congo, while Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly and Declan Rice were all cautioned against Mexico. A yellow card for any of them tonight, and they'll miss the semi-final should England get through. Norway have only one player on a yellow in winger Antonio Nusa. (Yellow cards were wiped at the start of the knockouts, and will be again after the quarters.)

Some early England team news from David Hytner.

Thomas Tuchel is ready to play Ezri Konsa at right-back, with Reece James still not fully fit. John Stones is expected to come into central defence. On the right wing, it is set to be Noni Madueke rather than Bukayo Saka, who continues to struggle for 100 percent fitness.

Uefa have been throwing ersatz Super Bowl shapes at the Champions League final for a few years, and now Fifa are getting in on the act. Ellie Goulding, a big England fan, will perform a half-time show this evening. Not sure how long that's scheduled to last. Factor in the hydration breaks and we could be here quite a while. “It's a precursor to what will come at the final maybe,†deadpans David Hytner, upon breaking all of this news to me. “Getting everyone ready for the idea.â€

England have got a pretty good goalscorer of their own, of course. Harry Kane saw the Three Lions through the group easily enough with two against Croatia and the clincher against Panama (and the less said about the other game the better) …

… then in the knockouts, that goal against the DR Congo and another at the Azteca. It's been a campaign of fits and bursts really, but England are becoming masters of tournament football, and getting the job done. Another deep run is on.

Norway's progress has been – this is not breaking news – all about Erling Haaland. Two goals against Iraq. Another brace against Senegal. A nice rest while the B team got some minutes against France.

Then in the knockouts, Haaland notched a late winner against Côte d'Ivoire, before sending Norwegian bunnies Brazil out of the competition in swashbuckling style. If Erling's on one, all bets are off.

So how did we all get here? To tell the story properly, let's go back to the beginning and reacquaint ourselves with both squads. In truth, not too much has changed since then … other than we'd need to crowbar in a bit about golf at the end of the England page. Oh Harry.

Some more on the conditions … courtesy of David Hytner, our man live from the coal face.

Tell you what Scott, it's crazy hot inside the stadium. Myself, Barney Ronay and Ed Aarons have just set up in the press box, sat at our seats for five minutes and we're all dripping in sweat. Imagine playing in this. The temperature at the moment is 33C. The real feel is 42C. According to Ed's app, the humidity is 71pc.

Weather report. It's currently 33C (91F) in Miami, and not expected to get any cooler come kick-off time. Once humidity is factored in, it's likely to feel around 41C (106F). Phew, what a scorcher, etc. Will that give Norway an advantage? They played Brazil under 31C sun in New Jersey last weekend; the most extreme weather England have dealt with so far has been a 25C ramble under cloud, also in New Jersey, against Panama. So it's a toss-up between experience and fatigue levels: you decide, and the truth will out. The conditions aren't expected to exceed Fifa guidelines, so there's no chance of the game being called off … but there could be a weather delay should lightning strike within eight miles of Miami Stadium, in which case it's a 30-minute postponement, the countdown clock reset every time there's more electrical activity. But for now, fingers crossed for 5pm local time/10pm BST/7am AEST … and stay hydrated all y'all.

England won their first five games against Norway, between 1937 and 1980, to the cumulative score of 24-2. No wonder, then, that the commentator Bjørge Lillelien went off on one like he did when Norway eventually chalked up their first victory against the Three Lions in September 1981. And if you haven't yet read Lars Sivertsen's entertaining account of that famous rant, right that wrong immediately!

It's been a lot closer between the two nations since then. In six subsequent meetings, England are two wins to one up with three draws, but it's Norway's sole victory that lingers longest in the memory: Oslo 1993, and a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win that marked the beginning of the end for poor old Graham Taylor. The famous yelps of “Do I not like that!†and “Can we not knock it?!†came earlier in that ill-fated campaign against Poland, but Phil Neal stole the show in Oslo with his spot-on impersonation of a lyrebird, while Taylor himself delivered a couple of off-screen “aw fucking hellâ€s that were a masterclass in comic timing and bathos. He was a good man, Graham; time's been kind.

It's been a quotable feast through the years, so here's to some more freestyle effin' and jeffin' tonight. All of the ingredients are ripe for choice comment: Erling Haaland and Harry Kane are scoring goals for fun; Arsenal's title-winning generals, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard, will face off in midfield; and it's going to be real hot in Miami. Both of these teams harbour genuine hopes of going all the way in this tournament, so here's to a (no-doubt-fraught) classic. Good luck everyone, may the best team hand out one hell of a beating. Kick-off is at 5pm local time/10pm BST/7am AEST. It's on! Can you hear me?!? It's on!!!!!