MIAMI, July 11, 2026 – Norway's World Cup campaign concluded at the quarter-final stage following a 2-1 defeat to England after extra time. Norway coach Stale Solbakken, visibly emotional, praised his team's high-level performance and the overwhelming support from fans.
Norway advanced impressively through the group stage and secured a notable victory over Brazil in the last 16. In the quarter-final clash, Andreas Schjelderup put Norway ahead, but England's Jude Bellingham equalised before halftime and scored the winning goal early in extra time.
Solbakken reflected, "We have been playing at the highest level, and the margins were not in our favour, but that's life, and now we need to breathe a bit." He applauded his players despite early challenges in the match, saying, "This is the way it is, this is at the top level, it can't get any higher than this and we had a few problems in the beginning, the first 20 minutes, but I really applaud the boys."
The tournament marked Norway's return to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1998, the last time Solbakken was part of the squad as a player. The team made a memorable impact, highlighted by Erling Haaland's stunning goals and the fans' famous rowing celebration.
Football fever gripped Norway, causing the country's red home shirts to sell out as thousands gathered in stadiums, streets, and squares to support the team. Solbakken expressed gratitude, "We have had fantastic support from all of Norway, and we lived up to the hype, and that's what I'm really proud of."
He also noted the team's commitment, "We said that we would step up when we got to the World Cup from the fantastic qualifiers, and we've managed to do so, and the boys did so. And we have been here together for 6-1/2 weeks. I don't see that people have been bored for a second, and that's good to know."
Despite some controversy, including a disallowed Norwegian goal and rumours about the ball striking an overhead camera wire before England's second goal, Solbakken chose not to dwell on excuses, wishing England the best of luck.
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