Norway vs England — Prediction

The most open quarter-final on the board, between the bracket's two hottest attacks: Erling Haaland has seven goals in four appearances and has scored in every game he has played — and in fourteen straight for Norway — while Harry Kane has six in five and Jude Bellingham four. The honest framing is that England are the better side across the pitch and history leans their way too: they lead this head-to-head 7-3-2, and Norway have never beaten European opposition at a World Cup. But the Brazil upset needs reading carefully — Norway won it on 1.05 xG to Brazil's 2.61, ruthless finishing rather than dominance, which is a warning about their ceiling and their fragility at once. England's own defensive picture is the counterweight: they have conceded in both knockout wins, Quansah is suspended after his Azteca red card, and Reece James is in a race to be fit on the reshuffled right side. Norway have scored and conceded in all five of their games; the two sides' four knockout matches produced three, three, three and five goals; and a 17:00 kickoff in Miami's July heat will stretch legs late. Everything points the same way — an open, trading-blows game that England's depth edges by the odd goal, with both No 9s likely on the scoresheet and extra time entirely live in a tie this close.