Norway vs. England: A History of Clashes Before the 2026 World Cup Quarterfinal

For the first time ever, Norway and England will face off in a major tournament — a 2026 World Cup quarterfinal that carries enormous weight. Their history, however, is written in friendlies and qualifiers. The most recent meeting came in September 2014 at Wembley, where Wayne Rooney’s second-half penalty gave England a 1-0 win. Before that, the sides met twice in qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup. Norway won 2-0 in Oslo (goals from Kjetil Rekdal? No, Leonardsen and Bohinen) and then held England 1-1 at Wembley — a result that helped Norway top the group and qualify for the finals, while England missed out. The 1982 World Cup qualifying campaign produced one of the biggest shocks in Norwegian football history. In Oslo, Norway beat England 2-1, with goals from Tom Lund and Hallvar Thoresen canceling out Bryan Robson’s opener. That win ended a five-game losing streak against England. Still, England recovered to edge Romania for second place and qualify, while Norway finished last in the group. The first ever meeting was a friendly in 1937, which England won 6-0 in Oslo. Overall, England have won four of eight matches, Norway two, and two were draws. Interestingly, three players from that 2014 friendly are part of the 2026 World Cup squads: England’s Jordan Henderson and John Stones, and Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland. This preview is brought to you in partnership with betking.