We all know who wins this: it has been scripted, it was foreseen! (Until recently, even the expert betters at Predyx knew... https://beta.predyx.com/market/world-cup-quarterfinals-norway-vs-england-1783715029). Den's gonna take aaaaall of your sats, browskies.

For nearly half their lives, Geir Martinsen and Richard Stott have bonded over their love of soccer, Manchester City Football Club and their adopted home of Oslo. But on Saturday, the friends will go their own ways. Norway and England are clashing in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.

For 90 minutes, at least, they will be at odds — as another chapter is decided in the deep relationship of England and Norway, which has been defined by rivalry, conflict, crosscountry settlement and friendship for over a thousand years.

Yeah, the memes have been great: viking invaders vs Anglo-Saxon crusaders.

Even before the Viking raids that began in the late eighth century, traders regularly crossed the North Sea, building ties among the era’s fractious kingdoms. Then, the violence of the Viking Age shaped large parts of Britain for centuries to come, as early English kings fought and forged peace with Scandinavian raiders and settlers. (Norwegian influence can still be seen in the language and culture in regions like the Orkney Islands.)

The rivalry this week has so far mostly stayed friendly. On the side of a NATO summit in Turkey, the prime ministers of each country posed in their team jerseys, and the British Embassy in Norway replied drolly to an open letter in the Norwegian press predicting England’s failure.

Some hilarious government sparring, too:

"Norway, meanwhile, is enjoying its most successful run at the World Cup ever. Its players and its fans’ Viking Row have become a sensation, winning new admirers.""Norway, meanwhile, is enjoying its most successful run at the World Cup ever. Its players and its fans’ Viking Row have become a sensation, winning new admirers."

Love the my-enemy's-enemy stuff:

Some of England’s closest neighbors — with their own histories of conflict — have thrown their lot with Norway, too. Scotland’s supporters, known as the Tartan Army, have rowed with Norway’s plastic-helmeted Vikings. Many Welsh and Irish fans have also joined in.

Northern lights over Scotland were incredible yesterday:

paywall fight was tough today, but Den prevailed https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/world/europe/england-norway-world-cup.html