Jude Bellingham did it again. Three weeks after his brace against Mexico dragged England out of the Round of 16, the midfielder scored twice more at Miami Stadium on Saturday, canceling out Andreas Schjelderup’s opener and then settling a bruising quarterfinal in the third minute of extra time. England won 2-1 and will meet Argentina in Atlanta on July 15 for a place in the World Cup final.
For long stretches, Norway looked capable of ending the run of the pre-tournament favorites. Schjelderup gave the Scandinavians the lead in the 36th minute, pouncing after Harry Kane was dispossessed near midfield and drilling a cross-shot off the post and in. Norway defended in numbers from there, content to sit deep against an England side that struggled to find rhythm through the middle of the pitch.
Bellingham’s Response
England’s equalizer arrived in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, when Bellingham finished from close range to make it 1-1 heading into the break. Norway’s players surrounded the referee afterward, arguing that Orjan Nyland’s goal kick had clipped an overhead broadcast cable before the buildup to the goal. FIFA later confirmed the ball’s sensor had not registered any contact, and the goal stood.
Neither side could find a winner in normal time, so for the second quarterfinal in a row the game went to extra time. England eventually broke through in the 93rd minute. Nyland could only parry a low strike from substitute Morgan Rogers, and Bellingham arrived first to the rebound to tap in from a few yards out. It was his sixth goal of the tournament, a tally that also included a strike against Croatia in the group stage, the opener against Panama and a quickfire double in the Round of 16 win over Mexico.
Jordan Pickford, meanwhile, quietly made history of his own between the posts. His appearance against Norway was his 18th at the World Cup, the most by any England player in the competition’s history.
A Number Bellingham Now Shares
Bellingham’s six goals in Miami pulled him level with Harry Kane atop England’s scoring chart for this tournament, and it puts him in rare company across English football history. Only two other England players have ever reached six goals in a single World Cup: Gary Lineker in Mexico in 1986, and Kane himself at Russia 2018, where he won the Golden Boot. Bellingham is now the third, and he still has at least one more match to add to it. Globally, he trails only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have eight goals apiece, and Erling Haaland, who has seven.
Setting Up Atlanta
England’s win means the semifinal draw is now complete. Argentina booked their own spot earlier Saturday, beating Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in a match turned by Breel Embolo’s second-half red card, which left the Swiss to play more than 50 minutes with 10 men. Julian Alvarez ultimately settled that contest with a rocket from distance in the 112th minute.
That sets up a heavyweight semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday, England’s first appearance at this stage of a World Cup since 2018 and just the fourth in the nation’s history. Fans hoping for a deeper dive into how these knockout matches are decided when 90 minutes are not enough can find our breakdown of the format in our explainer on World Cup 2026’s extra-time rules, while the broader shakeup among the last eight is covered in our look at a quarterfinal field without Brazil or Germany.
For now, the story belongs to Bellingham. England manager Thomas Tuchel has leaned on his No. 10 in every knockout match so far, and for the second straight round it was the 23-year-old who dragged his team over the line. Full match details and lineups are available through the official England Football match centre, and FIFA’s own recap can be found on FIFA.com. More coverage of the tournament’s business end is available at the Playbook Wire Soccer hub.
Argentina now stands between England and a first World Cup final since 1966. Bellingham has made a habit of showing up when it matters most, and Atlanta will be the biggest stage yet.
