Tuchel urges England to be brave and fearless ahead of World Cup quarter-final with Norway

Thomas Tuchel has delivered a rallying call to his England squad ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Norway in Miami, urging his players to be bold and leave nothing on the pitch.

“This is now for me the exciting part but we need to let go, we need to now connect to our identity, connect to what makes us strong, be on the front foot and be brave,” Tuchel said. “We cannot have any regrets when we play a quarter final, we have to go for it, this is the most important thing.”

England’s route to the last eight has been far from convincing. They scraped through their group before Harry Kane’s late double rescued a win over DR Congo, and they followed that with a hard-fought victory in Mexico. Tuchel, however, is unconcerned by the manner of those results, drawing a comparison with the grind of a domestic cup run.

“If you need a picture from the Premier League, it is January — it’s Sunderland, FA Cup, away in Leeds,” he said. “You just need to get it done. If you want to be at Wembley in the end you just need to get it done. No one will ask you any more how you did it.”

England face significant injury and suspension concerns heading into the tie. Reece James has missed the last three matches with a hamstring problem, while Jarell Quansah is suspended. Declan Rice and Marc Guehi have also been absent from training this week, making them major doubts for a game that will be watched by large numbers of travelling England supporters.

The conditions in Miami present an additional challenge. Forecasts point to temperatures exceeding 32 degrees Celsius alongside the possibility of heavy rain — a combination England have not encountered at this tournament, having played in the cooler climate of Mexico City and an air-conditioned venue in Atlanta. Tuchel said the squad’s scientific preparation would give them a “slight edge” over Norway when it comes to coping with the heat.

Standing in England’s way is a Norway side built around Erling Haaland, whose goalscoring has been central to their run in the competition. A place in the World Cup semi-finals is the prize for whichever side comes through.