Last updated: July 2026
England booked their place in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling 3-2 win over hosts Mexico at the iconic Azteca Stadium, setting up a mouthwatering last-eight clash with Erling Haaland’s Norway. Here is how the Three Lions got here, and what stands between them and a first World Cup final since 1966.
Jude Bellingham scored twice in a two-minute span to put England 2-0 up inside 38 minutes, before Julian Quinones pulled one back for Mexico just before the break. The match turned dramatic when Jarell Quansah was shown a straight red card in the 54th minute following a VAR review, leaving England to see out more than 40 minutes with ten men. Harry Kane restored the two-goal cushion from the penalty spot on the hour mark, only for Raul Jimenez to convert a penalty of his own and set up a grandstand finish. England’s defence held firm to secure a famous 3-2 win, England’s first quarter-final appearance since 2022 and first visit to that stadium in 40 years.
England topped their group before beating DR Congo in the Round of 32, then survived the Mexico test to reach the last eight. Thomas Tuchel’s side are one of only two host-era teams this century to win their opening four games of a campaign, joining Germany in 2006.
England now travel to Miami for a quarter-final against Norway, who stunned five-time champions Brazil in a huge upset earlier the same day. Haaland has been one of the standout performers of the tournament, and this quarter-final represents arguably England’s toughest test yet.
Victory over Norway would send England into the semi-finals for the third time in the last three tournaments, following their run to the semi-finals in 2018 and quarter-finals in 2022. A repeat of 1966 remains a long way off, but Tuchel’s squad has shown the resilience, in defending with ten men against Mexico, that title-winning teams often need.
Jude Bellingham’s brace against Mexico continued his outstanding tournament form, while Harry Kane’s composure from the penalty spot has been crucial throughout England’s campaign. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is also closing in on the England men’s record for most World Cup appearances.
Read our 2026 World Cup knockout stage preview for the full bracket, and shop the England national team jersey to back the Three Lions.
England face Norway in the quarter-finals in Miami, after beating hosts Mexico 3-2 in the Round of 16.
Jude Bellingham scored twice and Harry Kane converted a penalty in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico.
Playing over 40 minutes with ten men against a host nation, in front of a hostile Azteca crowd, was exactly the kind of test that separates genuine title contenders from pretenders. Thomas Tuchel’s decision to trust his defensive shape and squad depth, rather than panic after Quansah’s red card, will be remembered as a defining moment of England’s campaign regardless of how the tournament ultimately ends.
For hosts Mexico, the defeat ends a remarkable unbeaten run at the Mexico City Stadium and their best World Cup campaign in a generation, having won all four of their matches before facing England. Their wait for a first World Cup quarter-final since 1986 continues, a cruel outcome for a team that had matched England for large stretches of a genuinely classic encounter.
England vs Norway in Miami promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the entire knockout stage, pitting Bellingham’s battling England side against a red-hot Erling Haaland fresh off eliminating five-time champions Brazil. Neutral fans across the world will be watching closely to see whether England’s resilience or Norway’s attacking firepower proves decisive on football’s biggest remaining stage.
Whatever happens against Norway, England’s win over Mexico will be remembered as one of the great away performances of the tournament.
Bellingham’s brace and Tuchel’s composure under pressure have England believing a first final since 1966 is genuinely within reach.
The Three Lions have not looked this resilient in years.
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