England book World Cup semi-final spot with comeback win over Norway

England came from behind to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final, with Jude Bellingham scoring twice to send Thomas Tuchel's side into the last four.

The Real Madrid midfielder rescued England with an equaliser in first-half stoppage time before striking the winner in extra time to complete a dramatic comeback after Norway had taken the lead.

Norway started brightly and were rewarded in the 36th minute when Andreas Schjelderup finished clinically after Erling Haaland had earlier forced Jordan Pickford into action with a header.

England hit back just before the interval as Bellingham drove forward and slotted home to level the scores. Harry Kane thought he had given England the lead moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside.

Norway believed they had restored their advantage before the hour mark when Torbjørn Heggem found the net, only for VAR to disallow the goal after Haaland was adjudged to have fouled Elliot Anderson during the build-up.

The Norwegian side continued to threaten, with Kristoffer Ajer striking the crossbar, while England came close through Djed Spence after a mistake by goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland.

With neither side able to find a winner in regulation time, the match went into extra time. Bellingham settled the contest by reacting quickest after Nyland spilled a powerful effort from substitute Morgan Rogers, tapping home from close range to seal England's place in the semi-finals.

England will face either defending champions Argentina or Switzerland in the semi-finals at Atlanta Stadium on July 15.

Bellingham was named Player of the Match after his match-winning display. He and captain Harry Kane have now scored six goals each at the 2026 World Cup, making it the first time two England players have scored at least five goals in the same edition of the tournament.

Pickford also reached a personal milestone, making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance to become England's most-capped goalkeeper in World Cup history, overtaking Peter Shilton's record of 17 matches.

Norway's campaign ended despite a historic run that saw them reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. Their previous best performances came with Round of 16 appearances in 1938 and 1998, along with a group-stage finish in 1994.

Following England's victory, the Prince and Princess of Wales congratulated the team on social media while also praising Norway's performance.

"Well done England! Top performance in a tough environment. This is a special team. Commiserations to a proud Norway team. Onto the semi final... Never in doubt!" the official X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales posted after the match.