The quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup wrap up on Saturday with two very enticing matchups. Norway and England begin the day at Miami Stadium while Argentina and Switzerland conclude the day at Kansas City Stadium. These teams will all look to join France and Spain in the semifinals.
But we’re here to break down the first match of the day. Here is everything you need to know about Saturday’s first quarterfinal match at the World Cup.
While England and Norway have faced off 12 times in their histories, this is the first time at the World Cup itself. One particularly memorable matchup from almost 50 years ago still stands out.
Back in 1981 in a World Cup qualifier, Norway pulled off an unthinkable upset, beating England, 2-1. The BBC described the game’s result as “a seismic shock, regarded as a national embarrassment for England.”
But there’s more. The monumental Norway victory was further etched in history thanks to radio announcer Bjørge Lillelien calling out British prime ministers, particularly the one in office at the time, Margaret Thatcher.Â
“A slightly edited version of his wonderfully excitable commentary is: ‘Lord Nelson. Lord Beaverbrook. Sir Winston Churchill. Sir Anthony Eden. Clement Atlee. Henry Cooper. Lady Diana. We have beaten all of them.’
And then came Lillelien’s most famous words.
Maggie Thatcher. Can you hear me? We have a message for you. We have knocked your boys out of the World Cup. Maggie Thatcher. As they say in your language, in the boxing bars around Madison Square Garden New York, your boys took a hell of a beating.
He then repeated for good measure: ‘Your boys took a hell of a beating.'”
While England did, in fact, make that upcoming World Cup, Lillelien’s sentiment lingered and became an eternal part of soccer lore.
When Norway and England meet in South Florida on Saturday, the top storyline of the game is obvious. England is led by Harry Kane and Norway is led by Erling Haaland, and there is a good case to be made that both players are the top center forwards of their generation.
Playing in its first major tournament since Euro 2000, Norway has more than lived up to its expectations as a “dark-horse” contender. The club has completely relied on star forward Erling Haaland, and that might be enough to go even further.
Haaland has played four games at this World Cup and has scored seven goals. What should be particularly worrisome for England is that he is getting better as the tournament moves on. Against Brazil, Haaland was contained for the first 79 minutes but then came to life with a stunning display in the later part of the game. With the game scoreless, the Manchester City forward rose into the air to head in the go-ahead goal. Then in the 90th minute, he unleashed a blast from distance which sealed what would become a 2-1 win over the five-time champions.
Norways formula is well known. Its competent central midfielders â Martin Ãdegaard, Sander Berge and Patrick Berg â manage possession and tr
