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England are through to the World Cup semifinals, and they did it the hard way. A 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway on July 11 in Miami sent the Three Lions into the final four of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, their first semifinal appearance since 2018.
The hero was Jude Bellingham, who scored both of England’s goals, including a 93rd-minute dagger that silenced a Norway side featuring Erling Haaland in their first World Cup appearance since 1998.
A match that had everything
Norway struck first. Andreas Schjelderup found the net in the 36th minute, and for a stretch it looked like the tournament’s most charming underdog story was about to add another chapter. Norway hadn’t even qualified for a World Cup in 28 years. Suddenly they were leading England in a quarterfinal.
Bellingham equalized in the first half, dragging England level before the break. But regulation time ended knotted at 1-1, pushing the match into extra time.
Then came the 93rd minute. Bellingham again. England will now face either Argentina or Switzerland in the semifinals, with a spot in the final on the line.
The fan token angle
Fan tokens tied to national football teams and major clubs have been a recurring theme in crypto markets during World Cup cycles. During the 2022 tournament, tokens associated with competing nations saw significant trading volume spikes around match days. The pattern tends to repeat: pre-match speculation drives volume up, results trigger sharp moves in either direction, and liquidity dries up once a team is eliminated.
Norway’s elimination, for instance, would be the kind of event that historically deflates any associated fan token value overnight. England’s continued run, meanwhile, keeps attention and speculative interest alive for at least one more round.
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