England into quarter-finals – what is their path to the final?

July 6, 2026 No Comments

England into quarter-finals – what is their path to the final?Figure caption, Bellingham heads England into the lead against MexicoByDaniel AustinBBC Sport Senior JournalistPublished28 June 2026Updated 31 minutes agoEngland are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup after battling to beat Mexico.The Three Lions played most of the second half in Mexico City with 10 men against the co-hosts but managed to hold on for a superb 3-2 win.

It means England are one step closer to reaching their third major tournament final of the decade.

England to face Norway in quarter-final

‘Extraordinary’ Haaland fires Norway into World Cup Quarter-Finals

Saturday, 11 July – 22:00 BST

England face Norway in the last eight in Miami after their impressive 2-1 victory over Brazil in the last 16.

Norway finished second behind France in Group I and reaching the quarter-finals represents their best World Cup campaign.

With Manchester City’s Erling Haaland up front, they will pose a significant threat.

He is level with France’s Kylian Mbappe and Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot standings with seven goals – and that is after being rested entirely in Norway’s final group game with qualification secured.

The 25-year-old now has 62 goals in 54 international games.

And the semi-final?

‘Our best game of the tournament’ – Kane

Wednesday, 15 July – 20:00 BST

If England make it past Norway, they could face the defending champions.

Perhaps the favourites to reach this stage would be Argentina, who won all three of their group games as Lionel Messi continued to deliver on the biggest stage of all in the month he turned 39, scoring five goals so far.

They survived a huge scare in being taken to extra time by surprise package Cape Verde in the last 32, and will face Egypt in the next round.

Also in this section of the draw are Colombia, who would face Argentina in the quarter-final if both nations win their next games. They topped their group, ahead of Portugal, having won two of their three matches.

They face Switzerland in the last 16. The Swiss have grown into the tournament and won their first knockout game in 88 years in the round of 32.

Reaching the semi-final would mean a return for England to Atlanta, where they beat DR Congo in their last-32 match.

Let us dream… what about the final?

Lionel Messi celebrates with his arms stretched wide after scoring in the 2026 FIFA World Cup — Image caption,

Lionel Messi is now the top scorer in World Cup history, having surpassed the previous record set by former Germany forward Miroslav Klose by scoring in Argentina’s win over Austria

Sunday, 19 July – 20:00 BST

All of the remaining teams in the other half of the draw are potential World Cup final opponents for England.

The strongest sides who England could not possibly face before the final include 2018 winners and 2022 runners-up France, 2010 victors Spain and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco.

France and Morocco will meet in the quarter-finals.

Spain play Portugal in the last 16, with the winner playing the USA or Belgium in the last eight.

The final will be held in New Jersey in front of 82,500 fans.