England’s path to the World Cup final took several dramatic turns after reigning champions Argentina came back from the brink.
England’s path to the World Cup is clear as they face Norway in the quarter-finals
England now know which team they must beat to advance to the World Cup final on July 19th. Thomas Tuchel’s side advanced to the quarter-finals with a win over Mexico early on Monday morning, but know tougher tests lie ahead.
The Three Lions overcame thunderstorms and breathtaking altitude to defeat Mexico 3-2 at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca in a memorable performance. In the match itself, Jarrell Quansah was sent off and Harry Kane was awarded a penalty, but England survived and secured a place in the last eight.
There they will face Erling Haaland and Norway, who have already made an impact in this tournament. Haaland scored twice and the Scandinavian country defeated Brazil 2-1 to book a place in the quarter-finals.
If Egypt had won, the winner of that game could have been awarded what many would consider a simple game on paper. This looked like a realistic scenario at the end of Monday night’s game, when Egypt were leading 2-0, giving England hope of avoiding Lionel Messi and co.
But Argentina had other ideas and fought back to beat their African opponents 3-2 in a stunning 17-minute comeback. Egypt threatened to pull off their biggest upset in recent memory after Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico gave them a shock two-goal lead.
That was until the 79th minute, when Lionel Scaloni’s side fought back. They were leading until the 79th minute, but Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandes scored goals to secure their place in the next round.
Erling Haaland has scored six goals in the 2026 World Cup (Image: Jussi Eskola/Getty Images)
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Had Egypt won, England might have celebrated, as it would have meant avoiding Messi, who is in top form with eight goals this tournament. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Spain were originally expected to advance to the final, but Norway’s victory and Egypt’s unexpected success should have given them an easier path on paper.
Norway should not be underestimated, as they showed their quality by defeating five-time champions Brazil, and rankings mean nothing on the pitch. Similarly, Argentina must beat Switzerland on Sunday to advance to the last four.
The European team was unable to maintain a 0-0 lead against Colombia for 120 minutes, forcing the match to extra time and a penalty shootout. Former Manchester City player Manuel Akanji missed his shot, but in the penalty shootout Davinson Sanchez and Cucho Hernández both missed from 12 yards out, giving Switzerland a 4-3 victory.
So how does England’s path to winning the World Cup compare to that of their rivals? If France is likely to play Morocco, Spain or England, the average position would be 4.3.
However, if Argentina advances to the final and it is a rematch of the 2022 tournament, France, who is ranked third in the world, will have a score of 3.3.
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