England's World Cup Challenge: Facing Norway's Haaland and Key Injuries
England’s statement win, Norway’s rising threat and the World Cup cast left behind
England
FIFA ranking: 4
The red card has bitten back. Jarell Quansah’s dismissal against Mexico has now earned him a two‑game ban, ruling him out of Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway and stripping Thomas Tuchel of a key defensive option just as the tournament tightens.
As setbacks go, it stings. So do the injury doubts over Marc Guehi, Declan Rice and Reece James, all being nursed towards that meeting with Erling Haaland. Yet England arrive in the last eight with their chest out. Beating co-hosts Mexico in the Azteca, a ground that swallows visiting teams whole, was a statement of intent.
Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane again carried the attacking banner, but this was a night owned by the defence. Jordan Pickford was sharp and authoritative, Dan Burn came on and played like he had been there all tournament, and the 10 men held firm after Quansah’s early bath. England bent, but they did not break.
Now Tuchel has the assignment every modern coach dreads: drawing up a plan to mute Haaland. At the start of the summer, England would have taken this tie without hesitation. They reach it battle-hardened, but bruised.
Norway
FIFA ranking: 21
Norway have arrived at the sharp end of a World Cup on the back of a simple truth: when you own perhaps the deadliest striker on the planet, no one feels safe.
Against Brazil, Erling Haaland turned a tight knockout game into history. His double dragged Norway into their first World Cup quarter-final, a landmark built on ruthless finishing and a team increasingly comfortable in its own skin.
Behind him, Orjan Nyland is playing like a man possessed, repelling everything in sight. In front of him, Martin Odegaard dictates tempo and angles, steering a side that can both cherish the ball and fight anyone physically.
Now come familiar faces. Haaland of Manchester City and Odegaard of Arsenal will stare across at Premier League colleagues in an England team that knows exactly what is coming — and still has to find a way to stop it.
Belgium
FIFA ranking: 9
Belgium looked finished before they even started. Flat against Egypt, laboured against Iran, they were written off as yesterday’s men. Then something jolted.
A 5-1 demolition of New Zealand lit a fire at the end of the group stage. An improbable late comeback against Senegal in the round of 32 kept it burning. The win over the United States in the last 16 turned a fading golden generation into a live threat again.
They roll into the quarter-finals with momentum but also with a heavy blow: Amadou Onana’s anterior cruciate ligament injury has ended his tournament and stripped them of vital midfield muscle. Spain await, favourites on paper. Belgium have made a habit of ignoring the script. Can they tear this one up too?
Switzerland
FIFA ranking: 15
Switzerland always seem to be there when the knockout rounds begin. The difference this time is they are still standing after the last 16.
Their penalty shootout victory over Colombia delivered a first World Cup quarter-final since 1954, when they hosted the tournament. It came the hard way, without Johan Manzambi, the 20-year-old who had been their spark with three goals and two assists before injury struck.
Without him, their creativity dried up — just two shots on target — but their defensive discipline hardened. They dragged the game to penalties and held their nerve. Argentina are next, a heavyweight test. Switzerland have seen enough over the past fortnight to believe they can drag Lionel Messi and company into their kind of game.
Morocco
FIFA ranking: 6
Morocco could not quite recreate the magic of 2022, but they carved out a new piece of history all the same: the first African nation to reach successive World Cup quarter-finals.
They eased through a gentle group, held Brazil to a draw in their opener, edged the Netherlands on penalties and then ruthlessly dumped co-hosts Canada out 3-0 with just five shots. When their chances came, they finished.
France were a step too far. A star-laden side smothered them, and the absence of injured forward Ismael Saibari left Morocco blunted in the biggest game. The performance disappointed, but the tournament did not. Under a heavy weight of expectation from home, they still delivered a campaign to be proud of.
Paraguay
FIFA ranking: 34
Paraguay’s World Cup will be remembered for one extraordinary night: the elimination of Germany in the last 32, one of the greatest results in their history.
They could not scale that peak twice. France brushed them aside in the next round, barely troubled despite Paraguay’s stubborn resistance and flashes of aggression. For a team dismantled 4-1 by the U.S. in their opener, simply reaching that stage and taking a European giant down along the way marks a quietly impressive run.
Mexico
FIFA ranking: 10
The Azteca finally cracked. Mexico’s fortress, unbeaten in 10 World Cup matches, fell to England in the last 16. On home soil, that kind of defeat lingers.
They had not conceded in the tournament before Bellingham struck twice in quick succession. Even after England went down to 10 men, Mexico could not find a way through. Cross after cross rained into the box, and cross after cross was cleared.
Julian Quinones leaves with four goals in five games and the status of standout figure. The team leaves with regret. The opportunity was there; the cutting edge was not.
Colombia
FIFA ranking: 11
Colombia walked off the pitch against Switzerland with the look of a side who knew they had let something slip. They had the better chances in the last 16 but fell on penalties, their World Cup ending in a shootout that never felt inevitable.
They had dreamed of a rematch with Argentina after losing the Copa America final two years ago. Instead, they ran into a Swiss wall they could not break.
This will hurt because the platform was strong. Colombia had outplayed Portugal in a goalless draw to top Group K, then swept past Ghana in the round of 32. The talent is there, the performances mostly matched it. The margins did not.
United States
FIFA ranking: 16
The U.S. promised plenty and then ran into a harsh reality. Belgium exposed them in the last 16, a comprehensive defeat that extended a barren run against elite European opposition.
The backdrop was messy. Folarin Balogun’s presence, amid controversy, hovered over the squad, but whatever effect the saga had, the performance in that knockout tie fell well below the standard they had set in the group stage and their last‑32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On home soil, this was supposed to be a launching pad. Instead, it felt like a reminder of how far there is still to go.
Egypt
FIFA ranking: 24
Egypt arrived with the label of serial underachievers and left with something far more substantial: respect, and a sense of what might have been.
They had already ticked off firsts — a maiden World Cup win against New Zealand, then a first knockout triumph by beating Australia on penalties — before running into Argentina in the last 16. For most of that game, they led. They countered with menace. They had the holders rattled.
Then came the collapse. At 2-0 up, game management deserted them. Defensive solidity gave way, time slipped through their fingers, and Argentina roared back. It was a brutal way to go, but Egypt’s campaign has changed how they are viewed on this stage.
Canada
FIFA ranking: 30
Canada’s tournament defies easy judgment. They made history by claiming their first World Cup point and then stepping into the knockouts for the first time. That alone marks progress.
Yet their last-16 exit to Morocco, a 3-0 defeat, left a sour taste because of what came before it. They squandered a string of chances in the first half, then paid for their wastefulness. Their group had been forgiving, their only wins arriving against Qatar and South Africa.
Given the years of investment poured into the programme, some will ask whether this run truly matched the ambition of a host nation. The real test will be whether Canada now become regulars at this level.
Cape Verde
FIFA ranking: 64
Cape Verde were one of the World Cup’s great stories. They walked in as outsiders and walked out with admirers everywhere.
A 0-0 draw with European champions Spain set the tone. They then somehow finished above Uruguay, drawing all three group games to reach the last 16. Against Argentina, they saved their best for last, twice coming from behind against Messi and the world champions.
Goalkeeper Vozinha turned into a cult hero with eight saves, including a superb one-on-one stop from Messi. Roberto “Pico” Lopes again anchored the defence superbly, but the moment of the day belonged to full-back Sidny Lopes Cabral, whose outrageous curled finish from a near-impossible angle will live long in World Cup montages.
Brazil
FIFA ranking: 5
Brazil are going home early again, and the drought grows heavier. By the next World Cup, it will be 28 years since the five-time champions last lifted the trophy, their longest spell without it.
Carlo Ancelotti arrived as the serial winner who would restore order. Instead, he oversaw a rare round-of-16 exit. Brazil looked strangely passive against Norway, a team they have now failed to beat in five meetings.
Neymar emerged late from the bench, scored a consolation penalty and traded words with Nyland, then clashed with Odegaard before the final whistle. By the end, he was in tears. Another Brazilian campaign ends with more questions than answers.
Portugal
FIFA ranking: 7
Portugal’s World Cup flickered rather than burned. For all the stars at Roberto Martinez’s disposal, they only truly looked a level above their opponents once — in a 5-0 dismantling of debutants Uzbekistan.
In the last 16 against Spain, they drifted. Trapped in a lull, they played without urgency until Spain’s stoppage-time winner jolted them awake, far too late.
Cristiano Ronaldo departs the World Cup stage for good, having scored in a record sixth edition and finally netted a knockout goal via a penalty against Croatia. From open play, he was a shadow of his peak. Portugal’s future will be built without him.
Netherlands
FIFA ranking: 7
The Netherlands’ group-stage swagger suggested something serious was brewing. A 5-1 win over Sweden, a slick front line of Cody Gakpo, Brian Brobbey and Crysencio Summerville — it all looked promising.
Then the draw turned cruel. Morocco, another top-10 side, awaited in the last 16. Ronald Koeman shifted to a back five, and for long spells it worked, forcing Morocco to chase a late equaliser. But the price of caution will be debated for years. Could they have trusted the attacking formula that had carried them through the group?
The penalty shootout was a disaster. Three misses from five attempts sealed their fate and, soon after, Koeman’s resignation. A campaign that had begun with optimism ended with a familiar Dutch feeling: regret.
Germany
FIFA ranking: 12
Germany’s World Cup followed a now-familiar pattern: early promise, then a sharp fall.
They thrashed Curacao and edged the Ivory Coast, but a 2-1 defeat to Ecuador with a near full-strength side exposed fragilities. In the last 32 against Paraguay, they felt aggrieved when Jonathan Tah’s extra-time goal was ruled out for blocking the goalkeeper. It should never have come to that.
Paraguay had been routed 4-1 by the U.S. earlier in the tournament. Germany, once the model of knockout reliability, again fell short. After two straight group-stage exits since their 2014 triumph, this latest stumble ended with something unprecedented: their first World Cup penalty shootout defeat. Julian Nagelsmann has since stepped down.
Japan
FIFA ranking: 17
Japan lit up the group stage with an egoless, high-energy style that won admirers everywhere. They played without stars’ egos, just a collective belief that they could run and pass anyone off the pitch.
They were fancied to trouble Brazil in the last 32 and did exactly that, Kaishu Sano putting them ahead. Brazil matched their intensity and, with their wealth of attacking options, finally broke through with an added-time winner.
Injuries to Kaoru Mitoma, Takefusa Kubo and Wataru Endo before and during the tournament left Japan without some of their sharpest tools. The thought lingers: with a fully fit squad, how far might they have gone?
Senegal
FIFA ranking: 18
Senegal’s exit was pure heartbreak. Leading Belgium 2-0 in the 86th minute of their last-32 tie, they somehow contrived to lose, Youri Tielemans’ extra-time penalty completing a collapse that left players in tears.
This came only months after they were stripped of their AFCON crown, adding another layer of pain. Yet for most of that game, they were superb. Ismaila Sarr’s chest control and thunderous finish was one of the goals of the tournament. They had already given France a serious test in the group stage with a strong first-half display.
The meltdown will haunt them. The level they showed will encourage them.
Ivory Coast
FIFA ranking: 31
Ivory Coast’s World Cup ended with a clear message: they are close, but not quite there yet.
Their only defeats came against Germany in the group and Norway in the round of 32. Wins over Ecuador and Curacao underlined their status as one of the best of the chasing pack, just outside the true contenders.
They brought the youngest squad in the tournament, and it showed in both promise and naivety. Amad shone, scoring a winner against Ecuador and a brilliant solo goal versus Norway. Yan Diomande flashed the talent that could earn him a big transfer. But none of their strikers scored. Over four games, that lack of a reliable No 9 proved decisive.
Croatia
FIFA ranking: 13
For a nation that has lived in the latter stages of recent World Cups, a round-of-32 exit feels jarring. Croatia, runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022, bowed out after a late defeat to Portugal.
They had recovered from a 4-2 opening loss to England in Group L with wins over Panama and Ghana to finish second, but when the knockout tension rose, they could not summon another deep run.
Attention now turns to Luka Modric. At 40, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner may have played his final international match. Replacing him is impossible. Croatia’s next era begins with that reality.
Sweden
FIFA ranking: 37
Sweden arrived from the depths. Only last year they had finished bottom of their qualifying group behind Kosovo, Slovenia and Switzerland, winless and adrift.
Under Graham Potter, they rediscovered themselves. They beat Ukraine and Poland in the play-offs, then opened this World Cup with a 5-1 demolition of Tunisia and a draw with Japan. With Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Anthony Elanga, the talent is there.
France ended their run in the last 32, a defeat with no shame attached. The bigger story is Sweden’s revival. They look like a team again.
Ecuador
FIFA ranking: 25
Ecuador defended stoutly but could not find enough goals. Across four matches, they scored only twice and even drew a blank against Curacao.
Both of their goals came in a memorable 2-1 win over Germany, the high point of their tournament. When the knockouts arrived, Mexico’s ruthlessness exposed their limitations.
Enner Valencia, 36, never caught fire, and their other key figures — Moises Caicedo, William Pacho, Piero Hincapie — are all defensive pillars. Hincapie’s added-time red card against Mexico, for covering his mouth during a confrontation, summed up a campaign that never quite clicked in the final third.
Ghana
FIFA ranking: 65
Ghana came in ranked 73rd in the world, the second-lowest team at the tournament, and quickly proved that number was an illusion.
A win over Panama in their opener set the platform, and a gritty 0-0 draw with England followed, a game in which they were desperately unlucky not to win a late penalty. Qualification was secured, and with it a sense of vindication.
Colombia’s superior talent eventually told in the round of 32, with the absence of injured Mohammed Kudus stripping Ghana of their attacking spark. Even so, this felt like a foundation, not a one-off. After years of inconsistency, they have something solid to build on.
Austria
FIFA ranking: 22
Austria clung to the knockout rounds by their fingernails, edging past Algeria in a dramatic final group game. Once there, Spain showed them the difference between plucky and elite.
Ralf Rangnick’s side carried a punch, scoring three times on two occasions in the group stage, but against top-tier opposition — Spain and Argentina — they found themselves outgunned and outmanoeuvred. For their first World Cup since 1998, simply being here mattered. The step up in class was obvious.
Australia
FIFA ranking: 28
Australia’s tournament will always be tied to that jolt against Turkey. Their 2-0 win was one of the early shocks of the World Cup, a classic case of a well-drilled side punching above its weight.
Tony Popovic set them up to absorb pressure and break with speed. After Turkey, the ruthlessness in front of goal faded, though they still mustered the resilience to come from behind against Egypt.
Penalties ended their run in the round of 32, Egypt edging them out. Successive knockout appearances underline Australia’s progress. They leave with pride intact and an identity reinforced.
Algeria
FIFA ranking: 29
Algeria never truly caught fire. Their round-of-32 defeat to Switzerland was tame, lacking the cutting edge needed at this level.
There were glimmers. Riyad Mahrez, at 35, finally scored his first World Cup goals. Anis Hadj Moussa, the 24-year-old Feyenoord winger, offered hints of a future beyond the current generation.
But too many of their key players are past their peak, and they lag behind the likes of Senegal, Ivory Coast and Morocco. The gap within Africa has rarely felt clearer.
DR Congo
FIFA ranking: 41
DR Congo arrived at only their second World Cup — their first since 1974, when they were known as Zaire — and left with heads high.
A draw with Portugal and a win over Uzbekistan in Group K carried them into the last 32 as one of the best third-placed sides. Against England, they struck first through Brian Cipenga and, for a while, threatened a seismic shock.
Goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi seemed destined to join Vozinha and Eloy Room in the pantheon of surprise goalkeeping stars before England finally broke him down. Even in defeat, DR Congo made a lasting impression.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
FIFA ranking: 61
For Bosnia and Herzegovina, this World Cup was about firsts. A win over Qatar and a draw with Canada took them into the knockouts for the first time as an independent nation.
The U.S. ended their run in the last 32, but their place in the story is secure. They will always be the team that knocked Italy out in UEFA’s play-offs to get here.
South Africa
FIFA ranking: 54
South Africa’s journey ended in stoppage time and in a swirl of conflicting emotions. After losing their opener to Mexico, few believed they would escape the group. They did, reaching the knockout phase for the first time.
Morocco then broke their hearts, snatching a late winner that denied them extra time and the lottery of penalties. Hugo Broos departs as the oldest man to coach a team in a World Cup knockout game, leaving behind a side that finally believes it belongs.
Iran
FIFA ranking: 21
Iran leave with a sense of injustice and what-ifs. In their final group game against Egypt, they thought they had snatched an added-time winner, only for a marginal offside to intervene. Moments later, they hit the crossbar.
A win would have sealed qualification. Instead, they were forced to watch and wait, hoping their three points and neutral goal difference would be enough as one of the best third-placed teams. When Algeria appeared to have scored an added-time winner against Austria, Iran were going through. Austria’s even later equaliser knocked them out.
All this while their country was in military conflict with co-hosts the U.S., forcing them to fly in and out of the States within hours of matches before that policy was finally scrapped. To leave unbeaten, without a single loss, will sting for a long time.
New Zealand
FIFA ranking: 86
New Zealand’s return to the World Cup after 14 years produced a new name: Elijah Just. The forward scored three times and gave their campaign a cutting edge, while Chris Wood’s touches against Iran in the opener briefly lit up social media.
After that draw, reality bit. Egypt and Belgium overpowered them, exposing the gap in quality. Still, New Zealand played their part, unearthed a star, and set a clear target: make the knockouts next time.
Turkey
FIFA ranking: 27
Turkey were perhaps the tournament’s biggest let-down relative to expectation. Most predicted they would progress from a group containing Australia and Paraguay. Instead, they were out with a game to spare.
A 3-2 win over the U.S. in their final match salvaged some pride and produced their first goals of the tournament, but it was little more than a late flourish. For a squad with genuine talent, this was a campaign to forget.
Uruguay
FIFA ranking: 19
Uruguay backed themselves into a corner and never found a way out. Dropped points against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde meant they needed a result against Spain in their final group game. It never looked likely.
This is a team that finished level on points with Brazil and Colombia in qualifying, but they never reached that level here. A goalkeeping howler and a red card summed up their self-inflicted damage. Marcelo Bielsa’s side imploded when it mattered most.
Saudi Arabia
FIFA ranking: 58
Saudi Arabia regressed from their recent World Cups, where they had at least claimed a group-stage win. They have reached the knockouts only once, in 1994, and this was not the year to add another run.
Yet they were hard to beat, drawing twice and showing a resilience that suggests their growing domestic league might pay off on the international stage. With the 2034 tournament on home soil, their next chapter is already looming.
South Korea
FIFA ranking: 32
South Korea started brightly, beating the Czech Republic 2-1, then faded badly. Back-to-back defeats to Mexico and South Africa without scoring left them on three points and minus one goal difference — not enough to sneak through as a best third-placed team.
It marked a step back from 2022, when they advanced ahead of Uruguay and Ghana. Captain Son Heung-min struggled for influence and was dropped for the final match. For a nation used to punching above its weight, this was a sobering campaign.
Scotland
FIFA ranking: 42
Scotland’s fate was sealed not on the pitch but by results elsewhere. Three points from a win over Haiti left them waiting on other groups. A 3-0 defeat to Brazil had shredded their goal difference, and the numbers eventually condemned them.
After a 28-year wait to return to the World Cup, falling at the first hurdle cut deep. Steve Clarke resigned after seven years in charge, leaving behind a team that finally made it back to the big stage but could not stay.
Curacao
FIFA ranking: 82
Curacao, the smallest nation ever to grace a World Cup, leave with more than just memories. They claimed a point against Ecuador thanks to goalkeeper Eloy Room’s heroics and celebrated their first World Cup goal through Livano Comenencia.
Their opener, a 7-1 hammering by Germany, threatened embarrassment. Instead, they regrouped and competed. Eliminated after losing to Ivory Coast, they still depart with credit and a sense of belonging.
Czech Republic
FIFA ranking: 48
The Czech Republic’s campaign never really got going. They reached the final group game needing a win over Mexico and were brushed aside 3-0.
It jarred with the grit they had shown to beat the Republic of Ireland and Denmark in the European play-offs. One point from a draw with South Africa and bottom place in Group A was not what they came for.
Uzbekistan
FIFA ranking: 60
Uzbekistan’s debut ended without a point, but not without moments. They stood up to Colombia and even led against DR Congo before being overwhelmed.
They also found themselves on the wrong end of history, watching Ronaldo score at his sixth World Cup in Portugal’s 5-0 win. With Fabio Cannavaro on the touchline, they had hoped for defensive steel. Eleven goals conceded in three games told a harsher story.
Panama
FIFA ranking: 44
Panama bowed out as the only team not to score at this World Cup, a statistic that will grate. Already eliminated before facing England, they lost 2-0 and headed home quietly.
Yet there were positives. They were stubborn, losing by a single goal to both Ghana and Croatia, a marked improvement on 2018 when they shipped 11. Add some attacking edge to that resilience and they will become a far tougher out.
Jordan
FIFA ranking: 73
Jordan’s first World Cup ended with a game to spare, defeats to Austria and Algeria ending their hopes before they faced Argentina.
They did at least score in every match, including against the world champions, but they could not smother opponents the way some fellow debutants managed. Without a breakout star in goal, their defensive shortcomings were laid bare.
Haiti
FIFA ranking: 88
Haiti left the tournament with their heads up and their hearts still swinging. Already out before facing Morocco, they played with freedom and lost 4-2 in a chaotic, entertaining game.
Wilson Isidor’s goal was a standout moment, a reminder of the individual quality sprinkled through the squad. Back at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, they will hope next time the draw is kinder than a group containing both Morocco and Brazil.
Qatar
FIFA ranking: 59
Qatar’s campaign unravelled after a promising start. A draw with Switzerland in their opener suggested Julen Lopetegui had built something more robust than in 2022.
Then came Canada. A 6-0 thrashing, two red cards, and one of the worst performances of the group stage ripped that illusion apart. A 3-1 defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed their exit. The hosts of 2022 are still searching for a World Cup identity.
Iraq
FIFA ranking: 63
Iraq ran into a brutal reality: two of the world’s best forwards in Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, and a group they were never likely to escape.
The high point was captain Aymen Hussein’s goal against Norway, scored shortly after he had been held for several hours by U.S. immigration officials on arrival. It was a rare bright spot.
Against Senegal, they needed a win to stay alive and conceded inside four minutes, then went down to 10 men. A 5-0 defeat closed their first World Cup since 1986. The wait for a sustained run goes on.
Tunisia
FIFA ranking: 57
Tunisia endured a miserable tournament from start to finish. A 5-1 opening defeat to Sweden cost Sabri Lamouchi his job, and Herve Renard could not stop the slide.
Heavy losses to Japan and the Netherlands followed. They left with a minus-10 goal difference, worse than anyone but Iraq. For a nation that has often been awkward and competitive at World Cups, this was a jarring fall.
From England’s looming duel with Haaland to Cape Verde’s audacious run and Brazil’s deepening drought, this World Cup has already twisted expectations. The giants still standing know exactly what awaits them now: no more second chances, no more soft landings — only history, or the long road home.
