Erling Haaland has intensified the psychological tactics ahead of the World Cup by suggesting England are the ones carrying the burden as they prepare to meet Norway in Saturday’s quarter-final clash.
Haaland has enjoyed an outstanding tournament, netting seven goals across four matches, including a brace in the last-16 victory over Brazil on Sunday. Norway are thriving in their first journey to this level since 1998 but, in a typically playful and provocative manner, Haaland insisted the weight of expectation should fall solely on one side.
When questioned if all the pressure is on England, Haaland answered: “Yeah”. Pressed on whether Norway could benefit from that, the forward responded: “Yeah, absolutely.” Last year Haaland stated Norway had a 0.5% probability of claiming the World Cup and, despite the recent displays, he implied the outlook hasn’t improved significantly. “Really low still,” he said. “I think there are some clear contenders out there. England are one of them, so I believe you should place every bit of pressure on the English players.”
That final comment was delivered with a grin. So was Haaland’s reaction to the question of whether England fans should “stay humble” ahead of the fixture, echoing his well-known comment to Mikel Arteta after a stalemate between Manchester City and Arsenal in September 2024. “I believe everyone should remain humble but they should certainly be confident of progressing,” he remarked.
A detailed look at Norway forward Erling Haaland for the 2026 World Cup
Haaland was in a similarly lighthearted mood at Norway’s training session in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, elaborating on his fondness for American people by describing them as “rather hilarious”. However, significant tasks lie ahead and he conceded that both his individual and team achievements this summer have been unexpected. “I didn’t foresee this whatsoever,” said the 25-year-old. “Even before the opening match I didn’t see it coming, and even now I didn’t expect it. Truthfully, to feature in a World Cup quarter-final with Norway, it’s quite astonishing even for me.
“Facing Brazil was somewhat unreal for us Norwegians and to defeat Brazil, then move on to play England in a quarter-final in the USA, is very extraordinary. And I believe if you observe the scenes back in Norway, this is not ordinary for us to be competing here.”
Haaland, who came into the world in Leeds during his father Alf-Inge Haaland’s spell at Elland Road, highlighted the encounter’s personal importance. “It’s a remarkable match, certainly,” he said. “I think for myself, it’s extremely special because I compete in England and I was born there, and you also face colleagues and everything. So it’s a touch … not strange, but it’s an amusing matchup and it’s going to be enjoyable.”
Norway are on the brink of creating more history and, while acting as Norway’s clinical focal point, Haaland is determined to embrace the enjoyable aspect of the occasion. “It’s essential in my daily life to train properly, concentrate properly and prepare properly, but you must also savour the moment and that’s precisely what we’ve been doing now,” he said. “And while we compete in the World Cup we simply have to relish it because nothing endures forever, and we just have to enjoy it while we’re here.”
Haaland and his teammates continue to possess a clean slate of fitness heading into the clash with England, as talk of an illness in the camp earlier this week had been overstated.
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