Norway's historic run at the 2026 World Cup has officially come to an end. On Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Ståle Solbakken's side fought bravely but ultimately fell 2-1 to a deeply talented England squad in the quarterfinals.
For a moment, it looked like the Scandinavian fairy tale was going to continue. In the 41st minute, Erling Haaland did what he has done all tournament, breaking free from the English center-backs to latch onto a through ball and smash a left-footed strike past Jordan Pickford. The goal gave Norway a 1-0 lead heading into halftime and brought Haaland's personal tally for the tournament to eight goals, tying him with Kylian Mbappé at the top of the Golden Boot race.
However, the physical toll of a deep tournament run finally caught up with Norway in the second half. England relentlessly applied pressure, equalizing through Bukayo Saka in the 65th minute before Jude Bellingham headed in the heartbreaking winner just ten minutes from full time. Despite a frantic final push, Haaland was largely isolated in the dying moments as England controlled the remaining possession.
While the loss sends Norway home, Haaland's individual campaign remains one of the defining stories of the summer. He carried his national team to their first-ever quarterfinal, finishing his tournament with eight goals in just five matches.
The stage is now entirely left to Mbappé. The French captain remains in the tournament and will head into the semifinals fully aware of the massive statistical benchmark his Norwegian counterpart has left behind. Haaland's World Cup is over, but the debate over who had the better summer is far from settled.