England booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals after coming from behind to defeat Norway 2-1 in extra time, with Jude Bellingham scoring both goals in a dramatic quarter-final. The Real Madrid midfielder cancelled out Andreas Schjelderup's first-half opener before netting the decisive strike in extra time to seal victory for Thomas Tuchel's side. The Three Lions will now face either Argentina or Switzerland in the last four.
Norway made the brighter start and threatened early when Erling Haaland tested Jordan Pickford with a powerful header. Their pressure paid off in the 36th minute as Andreas Schjelderup guided a cross-shot into the far corner after England failed to deal with the attack. The Nordic side continued to control proceedings and looked full value for their advantage.
England responded just before the interval after surviving sustained Norwegian pressure. Jude Bellingham surged forward from midfield before calmly slotting past Orjan Nyland in first-half stoppage time to restore parity. Harry Kane thought he had completed the turnaround moments later, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The second half remained evenly contested as both teams created chances in search of a winner. Torbjorn Heggem appeared to put Norway back in front, only for VAR to disallow the goal after Erling Haaland was penalised for pushing Elliot Anderson in the build-up. Norway then came agonisingly close again when Kristoffer Ajer's header struck the crossbar, while Djed Spence nearly punished Nyland's rushed clearance at the other end.
With neither side able to find a breakthrough in normal time, the tie moved into extra time. England finally found the decisive moment when Morgan Rogers' fierce effort was spilled by Nyland, allowing Jude Bellingham to react quickest and convert from close range. His second goal of the night ended Norway's impressive World Cup campaign and secured England's place in the semi-finals, where they will meet either defending champions Argentina or surprise package Switzerland on 15 July.
