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Norway thank FIFA for intervention before England showdown - 'We're incredibly satisfied'

Norway's preparations have been far from straight forward ahead of Saturday night's World Cup quarter-final against England at Miami Stadium

[Norway's team moved hotels after FIFA stepped in]

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Norway's team moved hotels after FIFA stepped in

Norway's preparations for their World Cup quarter-final showdown with England received a huge boost after settling into their new accommodation. The Scandinavian nation faced a nightmare scenario after several players were left unhappy in the lead-up to their biggest football fixture in recent memory.

Ahead of Saturday's fixture in Miami, Norway moved out of their accommodation at The Dalmar, a five-star hotel in Fort Lauderdale due to various disruptions before their World Cup clash against England. Several players suffered from illness, noise, and basic logistical issues.

A large construction project next to the building backs onto a busy road and it's understood that this was affecting the squad during downtime. Captain Martin Odegaard admitted there "there were some things that could have been better", while head coach Stale Solbakken claimed they did not have an adequate room to hold team meetings.

Truls Daehl, the head of the national teams World Cup delegation, had previously described the situation as 'brutal' after Norway had to change hotels. But the Norwegian chief has expressed his satisfaction with the improvement in their new facilities as he shed light on FIFA's arrangements.

There were things where we stayed first that we would have liked to have thought were different, Daehli told TV2. We eventually decided to take action, because now we are in week six and will be staying here for a whole week. And the match we are going to play now is the biggest match we have ever played.

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Now we have managed to avoid bed sores, and we did not want to risk getting any of that during this period. That is why we made a change. We have been met with good understanding from FIFA, who have moved their package to the new hotel.

They [FIFA] pay for 50 rooms, that they pay for our security and transportation. We have to make a small adjustment, because this hotel costs more. But we are incredibly satisfied with the way things have been responded to here.

Norway delivered a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign, winning all eight games. In their first World Cup appearance since 1998, they have carried that form through to the Finals in North America after progressing from a difficult group including France and Senegal.

[FOXBOROUGH, UNITED STATES - JUNE 16: Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates 0-1 with Antonio Nusa of Norway during the World Cup match between Iraq v Norway at the Boston Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Foxborough United States (Photo by Jussi Eskola/Soccrates/Getty Images)]

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Erling Haaland has scored seven goals in four games

In the knockout rounds, Solbakken's men overcame the Ivory Coast 2-1 and stunned the much-fancied Brazil with the same scoreline. England, meanwhile, dumped out co-hosts Mexico with a thrilling 3-2 win at the Estadio Azteca.

Erling Haaland has been in red-hot form for the Vikings, bagging seven goals in four appearances - including a double against Brazil. He is vying with England's Harry Kane, as well as Kylian Mbappe and current top goalscorer Lionel Messi, for the Golden Boot.

When asked if all the pressure is on England, the Manchester City striker Haaland said: "Yes, definitely. I think there's some clear favourites out there, England's one of them."

In terms of Kane for England, the stats actually show him and Jude Bellingham make England one of the most player-reliant countries in World Cup history.

Opta data analysis from BOYLE Sports has explored how Bellingham and Kane have largely driven England to this stage of the tournament.

According to the data, Englands World Cup campaign has been powered by two players more than any modern Three Lions tournament run. Between Kane and Bellingham, the pair have accounted for 10 of Englands 11 goals so far, meaning 90.9% of Englands scoring output has come from just two players.

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