Who will England play next? Here is Three Lions' 2026 World Cup bracket opponent for quarterfinal

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Exhale, England fans.

Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and co. are headed to the quarterfinals after hanging onto a 3-2 lead as the de facto road team against Mexico, moving within three wins of their dream.

It took everything England had, twice conceding a goal after extending its lead to two and playing the bulk of the second half shorthanded after a red card was shown to Jarell Quansah. England bent but never broke, and that dream remains alive after an intense two hours in Mexico City.

Who will England play next? Here's what's on the table.

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Who will England play next?

After surviving Mexico's late push in the Round of 16, England will run into Erling Haaland and Norway on Saturday, July 11.

Most might have figured England would meet Brazil in the quarterfinal when the bracket was first formed, but Haaland scored twice in the second half of Sunday's quarterfinal match to eliminate Brazil and punch Norway's first-ever ticket to the final eight.

After a stop in Mexico, England is headed back to the United States to play its quarterfinal match in Miami.

How does the World Cup bracket work?

At this stage of the World Cup, there are no points or standings. Because this is the knockout stage, each game is a win-or-go-home scenario until a champion is crowned.

England is headed to the quarterfinals, where only eight teams will remain and only three more wins are required to win the World Cup.

What happens if knockout matches finish tied?

There has to be a winner on the day for each knockout match and for subsequent knockout-round matches (quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place match, final). So if teams are tied after 90 minutes of regulation, the match goes into a 30-minute period of extra time.

If the deadlock persists after those 30 minutes of extra time, then a penalty shootout will determine the team that moves on to the quarterfinals.

The Round of 16 pairings are established in line with the bracket that was set at the end of the group stage. From the Round of 32 onwards, every team knows their potential path to the final.

MORE: Teams eliminated from World Cup

England World Cup schedule 2026 and route to final

Group stage

England started with three games in Group L. They beat Croatia and Panama either side of a draw with Ghana to finish top of the standings.

Date	Round	Matchup
Wed, Jun. 17	Group stage, matchday 1	England 4, Croatia 2
Tue, Jun. 23	Group stage, matchday 2	England 0, Ghana 0
Sat, Jun. 27	Group stage, matchday 3	Panama 0, England 2

Round of 32

In the Round of 32, they were drawn against DR Congo, who finished third in Group K behind Colombia and Portugal. Kane scored twice to seal a comeback victory.

Date	Match No.	Matchup
Wed, Jul. 1	80	England 2, DR Congo 1

Round of 16

Their reward for reaching the Round of 16 was an intense showdown with Mexico at the Azteca.

Date	Match No.	Matchup
Sun, Jul. 5	92	England 3, Mexico 2

Quarterfinals

If England get past Mexico, they will face either Brazil or Norway in Miami.

Date	Match No.	Matchup
Sat, July 11	99	England vs. Norway

Semifinals

Should the Three Lions come through that test, their most difficult potential semifinal opponent would be reigning champions Argentina. This game will be back in Atlanta.