England could be far from full strength for their 2026 World Cup clash against Norway with two of their key players serious doubts about taking part.
The Three Lions, who are looking to end their 60-year trophy drought, have blown hot and cold in their run to the last eight.
Thomas Tuchel’s side opened up their campaign with an impressive 4-2 victory over Croatia, before coming back down to earth with a 0-0 draw against Ghana. They then beat Panama 2-0 to reach the knockout stages.
England survived a real scare in the last 32 as they scored two late goals to beat DR Congo 2-1, before producing a magnificent display to beat Mexico at the Azteca Stadium to reach the quarter-finals.
A tough tie against Erling Haaland’s Norway awaits, with the match taking place at Miami Stadium on Saturday, July 11. Confidence will be high in the England camp following their morale-boosting victory over Mexico.
However, England could be without two of their star players for the game.
Two Key England Players a Doubt For Norway Match
REUTERS/Paul Childs
Declan Rice has been integral for England this summer. He has started four of England’s five matches and produced some superb displays in those games.
It’s been well known that the Arsenal midfielder has been suffering from a hamstring injury and also a lower back problem, with Thomas Tuchel saying before the match against DR Congo that he was in ‘terrible pain.’
However, to make matters worse, it has now emerged that he has come down with a sickness bug. According to the BBC, this bug has forced Rice to miss training for the past two days. It is believed the bug has exacerbated his existing injuries.
England have taken measures to ensure that the sickness bug does not spread, with Rice isolating away from the rest of the squad.
Marc Guehi is also a ‘serious doubt’, according to Sky Sports. The Manchester City defender was named on the bench for England’s opening match against Croatia but has since started and played the full game in each of their last four matches.
He is believed to have picked up a hamstring injury against Mexico, though, which forced him to miss training on Thursday. Time is running out for the 25-year-old to prove his fitness with the match now just a day away.
Sky add that Dan Burn is pushing to come into the England defence, should Guehi be unavailable. The Newcastle defender was terrific after coming on as a 75th minute substitute against Mexico. John Stones and Trevoh Chalobah are also options to start at centre-back alongside Ezri Konsa for Tuchel.
Reece James could also return for the game against Norway. BBC Sport reported earlier this week that the Chelsea defender was expected to return to training and be in contention.
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Alan Shearer Expects Djed Spence To Start at Right-Back
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis
Djed Spence has been crticisied for some of his displays throughout the tournament, but he performed well after coming on as a late substitute against Mexico. Alan Shearer believes he should start at right-back over Reece James, even if the Chelsea captain is available.
He said, per the Mirror: “I don’t know the situation with Reece James’ hamstring, but I think it would be extremely harsh on Djed Spence if he didn’t start. I mean, he started left back, he started right back, he then went to left back when he brought him on the other evening and I thought he was outstanding when he came on the other day, as was Dan Burn, as was John Stones.
“But yeah, I mean, it’s amazing, isn’t it, we find ourselves before every single game discussing who’s going to be in the right back position. But my guess would be it would be Djed Spence at right back.”
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has issued a strong verdict on the performance of referee Francois Letexier during Argentina’s controversial 3-2 victory over Egypt.
Argentina came from 2-0 down to secure their place in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals thanks to goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez.
However, Egypt were furious after two major refereeing decisions went against them. They had a goal controversially disallowed in the 58th minute for a foul on Lisandro Martinez at the opposite end of the pitch at the start of the move.
The Pharaohs were also convinced a late penalty should have been awarded following an alleged foul by Julian Alvarez on Mohamed Salah. Fernandez scored Argentina’s winning goal moments later following a swift counter-attack.
“Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport,” Collina said. “Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”
Luis de la Fuente Gives His View on Letexier’s Performance
Reuters/Dale Zanine
France boss Didier Deschamps disagreed with the negative reaction towards his compatriot Letexier and praised the match official’s performance ahead of Les Bleus’ quarter-final against Morocco on Thursday.
Now Spain’s Luis de la Fuente has followed suit before his side face Belgium on Friday.
In an interview with DAZN, via Sportskeeda, De la Fuente said: “I honestly don’t understand why you ask me about the controversy surrounding the referee in the Argentina vs. Egypt match. Where did that even come from?
“I watched the game and I thought the referee got everything right. I’d actually like to congratulate him because every decision he made was spot on.”
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It’s currently unclear whether Letexier is currently in contention to referee the 2026 World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
The FIFA and UEFA elite category match official, 37, is now among the four referees involved in the quarter-finals and will not take charge of either semi-final. The referees for the final and third-place play-off are yet to be assigned.
However, Letexier’s compatriot Clement Turpin will take charge of Saturday’s quarter-final between Norway and England in Miami.
Norway submitted an official complaint to FIFA ahead of their 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash against England this weekend.
The Norwegians secured a spot in their first ever World Cup quarter-final thanks to an impressive 2-0 win over Brazil in the last 16. Manchester City’sErling Haaland scored two sensational goals to dump Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil out of the tournament.
Norway go head-to-head with England at the Miami Stadium on Saturday (10pm BST), but their preparations for the biggest match in their history haven’t been plain sailing.
“So great that they believe this,” Sand said. “We are in control.”
He added: “All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks.”
Norway Issue Complaint to FIFA
REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
Meanwhile, Norway have been forced to swap hotels after spending just one night at their FIFA-arranged accommodation.
Stale Solbakken’s side stayed one evening at The Dalmar Hotel in Fort Lauderdale before lodging an official complaint to FIFA, according to The Sun.
It’s claimed the luxury suites were located next to a building site, with a two-and-a-half mile walk past construction sites required in order to reach the nearest beach. A busy six-lane highway next to the hotel also resulted in noise and disruption.
FIFA acted swiftly following the complaint, with Norway’s entire entourage moved three miles away to the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale within two-and-a-half hours.
Norwegian broadcaster NRK, per The Metro, also claim several of the rooms assigned to players were smoky, mouldy or poorly cleaned. However, head coach Solbakken insisted the rooms were ‘cleared up quickly’.
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Asked if FIFA were wrong to allocate The Dalmar Hotel to Norway, TV2’s World Cup analyst, Jesper Mathisen, is quoted as telling Nettavisen: “Yes, it is.
“And as Stale Solbakken says, it is certainly possible to survive in that hotel but now they are going to play the most important match in Norwegian football history and then it is completely understandable that they want to stay in the best possible hotel, and that they want to get margins where they can.
“Then there is a risk of both little sleep and certainly also a risk of infection.
“They obviously fixed a new hotel quite quickly, and it’s good that there were both available rooms and opportunities to find a better, cleaner and perfectly decent hotel without so much noise.
“It was good that they were able to do it so early. After all, there are quite a few days until the game. If this had been one day before the game, it could have caused a bit of chaos, but now they don’t seem tired or in a bad mood out on the field, so things seem to be on track.”
FIFA Praised For Quick Response
REUTERS/Henry Romero
Meanwhile, Truls Daehli, head of Norway’s World Cup delegation, praised FIFA for their quick response.
“There were things where we stayed first that we would have liked to have thought were different,” Daehli conceded.
“We eventually decided to take action, because now we are in week six and will be staying here for a whole week. And the match we are going to play now is the biggest match we have ever played.
“Now we have managed to avoid bed sores, and we did not want to risk getting any of that during this period. That is why we made a change.
“We have been met with good understanding from FIFA, who have moved their package to the new hotel.
“They [FIFA] pay for 50 rooms, that they pay for our security and transportation. We have to make a small adjustment, because this hotel costs more. But we are incredibly satisfied with the way things have been responded to here.”
Norway captain Martin Odegaard added: “That there were some things that could have been better, then we fixed it really just to optimise and prepare ourselves as best as possible for a big match.”
Norway or England will meet either Argentina or Switzerland in next Wednesday’s semi-final at the Atlanta Stadium.
Tottenham have been linked with a move to sign Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi, and his agent has now spoken out on a potential transfer.
The Bournemouth attacker has become one of the most sought-after young players in the Premier League after an impressive breakthrough season with the Cherries.
Tottenham have already spent significantly in the summer window, so it’ll be interesting to see whether they’ll be willing to fork out what Bournemouth will likely charge for Kroupi
It’s not going to be a cheap deal, and his agent has now spoken out about a possible move.
Tottenham: Kroupi’s Agent Speaks Out
Speaking on Kroupi’s future, agent Moussa Sissoko has confirmed that there is no final decision on where the forward will end up.
Sissoko has confirmed that they are still discussing his future, and we will see what happens in the coming days amid interest from Tottenham.
“We are still discussing his future. We’ll see what happens in the coming days; at the moment, there is no final decision.”
Sissoko hasn’t mentioned any specific clubs despite the links to both Tottenham and Barcelona.
It’s certainly not going to be a cheap deal for any club to complete, with Bournemouth having him tied down for another four years.
The Frenchman has only spent one season with the Cherries, so it’s unlikely that they want to get rid of him so quickly.
