World Cup 2026: Norway’s Erling Haaland says pressure is all on England before quarter-final

Norwegian striker Erling Haaland said all the pressure was on England heading into Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final clash, smilingly urging the media to put as much pressure on Thomas Tuchel’s side as possible.

Norway have not qualified for the World Cup since 1998, but reached the last eight for the first time after finishing second in Group I before beating Ivory Coast and Brazil in the knockout stage.

England have reached at least the quarter-finals of the last three men’s World Cups, but have not reached the final since winning the trophy in 1966.

When asked if all the pressure was on England, Manchester City striker Haaland said: “Yes, definitely.

“I think there are some clear favorites out there; England is one of them.”

He told reporters: “I think you should all put every possible pressure on British young people.

“Yes they are [England fans] He must be absolutely sure that he will move forward. This is England.”

Haaland, 25, has scored in each of his last 14 appearances for Norway and will look to continue that run against the country of his birth (he was born in Leeds, his father Alf-Inge moved from Leeds United to Manchester City in the summer) when they meet in Miami on Saturday (22:00 BST).

When Haaland appeared on the cover of Time magazine last year, he said Norway had a 0.5% chance of winning the World Cup.

But Haaland’s seven goals in four games (including eliminating Brazil in the last 16) helped Norway reach the last eight.

“I wasn’t expecting this. To be honest, reaching the quarter-finals with Norway in the World Cup is quite surprising even for me,” he added.

“Playing against Brazil was crazy for us Norwegians and to win against Brazil and then play against England in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in the USA is pretty special.

“It’s hard to grasp everything because you have to play the game like it’s a training session.

“I think if you watch the scenes in Norway, you’ll see that it’s not normal for Norway, so it’s super special.”

Haaland’s popularity in the United States increased during the tournament, in part due to his personality and off-field accomplishments, as well as his goals.

Just hours after scoring the winning goal in the last 32 against Ivory Coast, Haaland went cowboy hat and boots shopping in Dallas.

He filmed the trip for his YouTube channel, and the video received over six million views in five days.

“It’s a good thing because I like Americans, I think they’re very funny too. They’re funny, so I like the way they are,” he said.

“I think it’s very good. To be honest, everything about the World Cup so far has been amazing. From the matches to the stadiums, everything has been amazing.

“The training ground we trained on was amazing, so I’m very happy and it was impressive.”

Other videos show him attending the Stanley Cup final in North Carolina and leading his teammates in the Viking standings after beating Brazil.

“I like to joke a bit and have fun,” he said. “I think that is the key to my daily life, to joke around and of course to train well, of course to focus well and prepare well but you also have to joke around and enjoy the moment.

“That’s what we’re doing now and just like we played in the World Cup, we’ve got to enjoy it because nothing lasts forever. We’ve got to just enjoy it while we’re here.”