{"id":337008,"date":"2026-07-11T16:09:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/337008\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T16:09:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T16:09:31","slug":"expectations-increase-for-england-while-norway-have-nothing-to-lose-in-epic-miami-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/337008\/","title":{"rendered":"Expectations increase for England, while Norway have nothing to lose in epic Miami showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI \u2014 Strolling down Miami\u2019s South Beach, you see two very different vibes among England and Norway supporters. <\/p>\n

On one hand England fans are swigging beer in the sun with a familiar slightly nervous look on their face as the pressure is now on their team to deliver. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re still having a great time but they know this is maybe the best chance they\u2019ll have to win it all again in the next 30 years. England fans are flooding to Miami, with over 30,000 expected for the game as stories of last-minute trips via here, there and everywhere flow as freely as the drinks.<\/p>\n

FOMO was very real among the England fans here in Miami.<\/p>\n

Overall expectation levels from England\u2019s fans was pretty low heading into this tournament<\/a>. But Thomas Tuchel\u2019s team, ranked fourth in the world, are now three wins from glory and their first World Cup title since 1966 as their epic last 16 win against Mexico in Mexico City<\/a> has boosted hopes they can finally win it all again. <\/p>\n

MORE \u2014 Preview, prediction, team news<\/a><\/p>\n

Confidence is now high among England\u2019s fans in Miami<\/p>\n

England are the favorites to beat Norway on Saturday and even though their fans have resisted the urge to chant \u2018It\u2019s coming home\u2019 for most of this tournament it could be heard near The Carlyle hotel on South Beach. <\/p>\n

England\u2019s fans are now starting to dream they can go all the way. Confidence is high. <\/p>\n

That means the expectation levels are now climbing back to the usually high, slightly unhealthy, levels. <\/p>\n

Youngster Harrison Kerswell was stood on Ocean Drive with the flag of St George wrapped around him. He believes England are going all the way. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s coming home,\u201d Kerswell said, stood outside the Clevelander as thousands of England fans were belting out Wonderwall and lauding Thomas Tuchel. \u201cIt\u2019s the year. We\u2019ve played so well. We\u2019ve had our ups and downs. The group stage wasn\u2019t the best for us but as we\u2019re going on we are getting better and better. Going to the Azteca and winning, we can\u2019t underestimate that. I think that was the first game I\u2019ve seen England be the underdog for and we looked unreal there. Everyone has doubted the defense but the last 20 minutes against Mexico showed how much quality we\u2019ve got in our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

As confident as England\u2019s fans are, they know the pressure is on. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe pressure is on, 100 percent. The pressure is on to get to the next round,\u201d England fan Graham Ward, who has been to eight World Cups, said. \u201cOnce they get to the next round I don\u2019t think it matters what happens because that will probably be classed as an element of success. At this level a semifinal would be a good achievement considering who the other teams in play are.\u201d <\/p>\n

Graham\u2019s wife, Julie, is confident England are going to win it all. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to do it, I just think it\u2019s going to happen,\u201d she said. \u201cThey feel like a unit. They feel like a team. I feel really good about it.\u201d <\/p>\n

The general feeling among England fans is that Argentina and France will obviously be tough to get past. But there is a growing belief that this team has shown enough, so far, to handle the pressure in big moments. <\/p>\n

Ryan Stone has been to every England game at the World Cup and was delighted to be in Miami for a quarterfinal. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe will beat Norway tomorrow, then we will play Argentina and then play France in the final. It will be a very hard game but if we are on our game we\u2019ll do them,\u201d Stone said. <\/p>\n

England and Stoke City fan Ryan Stone is very confident #England<\/a> are going all the way, is a big fan of Thomas Tuchel and is loving being in Miami for a #WorldCup<\/a> quarterfinal. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got to come home. It it doesn\u2019t come home I\u2019m going to be really, really upset.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/zomMckA0Zq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

A local taxi driver said he wants England to win the World Cup: \u201cIt would be nice to see them do it and to see a different team win it. It would be fun if England finally did it.\u201d <\/p>\n

A local on a scooter buzzed past Finnegan\u2019s Way pub and shouting \u201cCome on England!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"England<\/p>\n

England fans Norman Bartlam, 68, (left) and Paul Dubberley, 67, pose on South Beach in Miami. Ahead of England\u2019s game against Norway in the quarter finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Picture date: Thursday July 9, 2026. (Photo by James Manning\/PA Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

PA Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Norway playing with house money<\/p>\n

While England\u2019s fans are now seriously dreaming about going all the way, Norway\u2019s fans are just happy to be here. <\/p>\n

Erling Haaland, Norway\u2019s superstar, was asked if the pressure was on England. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, definitely.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then added on Norway\u2019s chances of winning it all: \u201cReally low still\u2026 I think there are some clear favorites out there. England are one of them, so I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.\u201d<\/p>\n

#Norway<\/a> fan Peter G\u00f8rbitz from Oslo is very respectful of #England<\/a> but believes all of the pressure is on them tomorrow. <\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely. We\u2019ve already had a massive success. England needs to \u2018bring it home\u2019 and they\u2019ve been trying to do it since 1966, right?\u201d #WorldCup<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4Pa5Q42Ce9<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) July 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Haaland was also asked if Englands fans should stay humble, his famous saying. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think everyone should stay humble but they should be confident of progressing, definitely,\u201d Haaland said.<\/p>\n

Norway\u2019s fans litter the famous art deco buildings around South Beach and they echo his views. <\/p>\n

Their fans put on an amazing show on the eve of the game with flags, a huge organized row and sang \u201cEngland\u2019s going home!\u201d and \u201crowing home!\u201d as the banter was superb. <\/p>\n

Norway were being cheered on by locals and are almost always rowing with huge smiles on their faces as they can\u2019t believe they are in the quarterfinals. <\/p>\n

Peter Gorbitz, from Oslo, wore everything with a Norway flag on it. The pattern on his trousers were full of about 100 Norway flags. <\/p>\n

He was supposed to go home after the last game but decided he couldn\u2019t because of how incredible this is. <\/p>\n

\u201cKeep on rowing! We rowed down from New York and maybe we were row to Atlanta (for the semifinal), right?\u201d Orbitz smiled, as he rowed. <\/p>\n

This is the first time Norway\u2019s men\u2019s team has reached the last eight of the World Cup and there\u2019s a general sense of disbelief. Their players included. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to go game-by-game and see how far we can go. Now we are in the quarterfinal in Miami and it is just crazy to say it out loud. I am so happy,\u201d Norway winger Andreas Schjelderup, who set up both of Erling Haaland\u2019s goals in the historic quarterfinal win against Brazil, said. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn how much it means for Norway, I think we are changing the nation,\u201d Haaland explained. \u201cWe have been growing balls now over time on playing football and I think the way we play shows that Norway is a fantastic football team and we are actually one of the better teams in Europe and the world because what we\u2019ve been doing is amazing. It took 28 years [to get back to the World Cup], took some time, I\u2019m 25 years old so you can\u2019t really blame me for that! It is unbelievable. I am proud of my country and I am proud of everyone.\u201d <\/p>\n

Schjelderup added this on the fans, who have done Norway proud at this World Cup, when speaking to Pro Soccer Talk: \u201cI want to thank them for their amazing support. The row and everything is really amazing. I feel like it has really put the Norwegian people a lot closer. You can just see how happy everyone in Norway is right now.\u201d <\/p>\n

And they are so happy because they have Haaland up front leading the charge. With seven goals so far at this World Cup he is the x-factor. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the best player in the world. That is what we are chanting over here,\u201d Gorbitz said. \u201cHe is so hungry. You can see it, he\u2019s putting everything in for the team and his performance against Brazil was just outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Norway\u2019s fans and team are playing with house money. They have absolutely nothing to lose. <\/p>\n

They\u2019re so happy to be here after unexpectedly beating Brazil. Speaking with their supporters in Boston, New Jersey and now Miami, the general theme is to keep enjoying the journey and to see what happens. There is no pressure. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is a bonus!\u201d smiled one Norway fan. <\/p>\n

Wearing Viking hats, rowing with locals and wearing scarves around their head, they are taking it all in their stride. That approach is working well for Norway and their vibe is extremely dangerous for England. Norway are calm and enjoying their historic run. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we are still only Norway, we are a small country and everything,\u201d Norway\u2019s left back David Moller Wolfe smiled as he spoke to Pro Soccer Talk about the quarterfinal. \u201cWe are very humble but of course on our day we can create trouble for many, many teams… We are just enjoying.\u201d<\/p>\n

England still enjoying the journey, even if the pressure is on<\/p>\n

For England fans the focus is simple when it comes to the trouble Norway can cause them: stop Haaland and win the game. <\/p>\n

\u201cStop the supply line to Haaland and we win the match,\u201d Ward said. \u201cWe will still probably win it, but it will make it easier.\u201d <\/p>\n

All of the talk among England\u2019s fans is about how important Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are to their success at this World Cup and that they will deliver goals and assists again on Saturday. <\/p>\n

Most of England\u2019s fans are now extremely confident of reaching a second World Cup semifinal in three tournaments, as long as Haaland is kept quiet. <\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone [has to play well], but especially Kane and Bellingham,\u201d Ward said. \u201cI think England can play average and if they can stop the supply line to Haaland, I think we can play really average and easily win still.\u201d <\/p>\n

England fans also praised Thomas Tuchel\u2019s \u201chonesty\u201d and him being \u201crelatable\u201d and sensible with his decisions so far at this tournament. <\/p>\n

But whatever happens for England their diehard fans who over the years have seen them crash out of World Cups too often in the group stage or early in the knockout rounds on penalty kicks, are grateful to be in a third-straight World Cup quarterfinal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to eight World Cups and you have to keep perspective,\u201d Ward said. \u201cI hope people don\u2019t forget what Gareth Southgate did too. He was the one who created this environment and created a different approach for England. He took it from a club culture to a unity culture so it is different and naturally it is going to be better.\u201d<\/p>\n

England have been getting better and improving throughout this World Cup and now the pressure is truly on. <\/p>\n

Making the World Cup semifinals will be deemed as a success. Losing to Norway would mean this tournament is a failure. Before this quarterfinal has kicked off Norway has already won.<\/p>\n

The narratives and expectation levels surrounding these two fanbases couldn\u2019t be more different in Miami ahead of this epic showdown. <\/p>\n