England and Norway have never met at a major tournament before, making Saturday's England vs Norway World Cup quarter-final in Miami a historic first for both nations. Kick off is at 10pm BST, and the Norway vs England odds have England as favourites. The two countries have met a dozen times through the years, mostly in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers, with England winning seven, drawing three and losing twice. Here is how the last six meetings unfolded, and what they might tell us about the sides walking out at the World Cup this weekend.
2014: Rooney's First Act as Captain
The most recent meeting came in a friendly at Wembley on 3 September 2014, days after Wayne Rooney was named permanent England captain following Steven Gerrard's retirement from international football. Rooney marked the occasion with the only goal, converting a 68th-minute penalty won by Raheem Sterling after a foul by Omar Elabdellaoui, a strike that also moved him up to fourth on England's all-time scoring list. It was a poorly attended night with Wembley only half-full, after England's World Cup group-stage exit in Brazil that summer.
2012: Young Ends the Wait
By 2012, England still had not beaten Norway since 1980, a run spanning five games. In another friendly, Ashley Young ended that wait in Roy Hodgson's first match in charge, finishing low from 15 yards after nine minutes in Oslo to seal a 1-0 win. Robert Green, playing his first England game since his 2010 World Cup error against the United States, was rarely tested, and the points were already safe before the display faded after the break.
1995: Held Again Away From Home
England traveled to Norway in October 1995 for the Post-Banken International Friendly, and once more could not find a way through, drawing 0-0. It was a rare away fixture in Terry Venables' build-up to hosting Euro 96 the following summer, and the flat performance drew criticism from the press at the time, with little to take from the game beyond fitness work for the squad.
1994: Another Stalemate
The sides played out a goalless friendly in 1994, a low-key affair with little to shout about and few chances at either end. It added to a lean run for England.
1993: Sunk in Oslo
Graham Taylor gambled on a reshaped back three for the trip to the Ullevaal Stadium for a World Cup qualifier, and it backfired as Norway won 2-0, with Oyvind Leonhardsen and Lars Bohinen scoring either side of half-time. Chris Woods was called into repeated action in goal, and the defeat left England needing near-maximum points from their remaining fixtures. It proved a damaging night in a campaign that ended without a World Cup finals spot for Taylor's team, who missed out to Norway and the Netherlands.
1992: A Share of the Spoils at Wembley
England and Norway drew 1-1 at Wembley in a World Cup qualifier in October 1992. Norway, the group leaders at the time, led at the break before David Platt struck early in the second half, turning in a Stuart Pearce delivery to rescue a point for Taylor's side. It was a fair result between two teams still finding their feet in a qualifying group that would go on to decide both nations' hopes of reaching the 1994 World Cup.
What it means for Saturday
England have won the last two meetings and lost only once in the last six, but none of those encounters came on football's biggest stage. Saturday's World Cup quarter-final is a completely different challenge, with Erling Haaland's Norway presenting a far tougher test than previous editions of this fixture.
History slightly favours England, but records built in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers rarely count for much once the knockout stages begin. It is no surprise that interest in a bet has been high all week with both teams just one win away from a place in the semi-finals.
Whatever the outcome, Saturday will add a brand-new chapter to the England-Norway rivalry, marking the nations' first-ever meeting at a major international tournament.
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