Norway v England
FIFA World Cup 2026, Quarter Final
Miami Stadium
Miami Gardens, Florida, USA
11 Jul 26
There was no official programme for FIFA WC 26 but the FA did produce a matchday poster for each game played by the free lions, available on England@England on X
Official Souvenir ticket
Official FIFA WC Host City Poster
ESTC applications for the Quarter Final at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami against Norway were slightly oversubscribed by just 151. There were 3651 applicants for 3500 tickets in the following categories: 875 x Cat 1, 875 x Cat 2, 1250 x Cat 3 and 500 at Cat 4. Luckily I qualified for the lowest category of ticket (Supporter entry/Cat 4) which was $60 (£45). In all it was outrageous ticket pricing from FIFA
The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami opened in 1987 as the Joe Robbie Stadium and has gone by many names since, in my last visit here in 2013 it was called the Sun Life stadium. It is located to the north of Miami in Miami Gardens and is not served by any public transport, so shuttle busses and ubers it was. The stadium has a capacity of 64,500 and is home to the NFL team Miami Dolphins. It has hosted six Super Bowls, one Copa America Final and and had the honour of hosting 7 WC games, including the epic Bronze medal match between England and France which ended 6:4 to England
15 Jun 26: Saudi Arabia 1 v Uruguay 1 (Group H)
21 Jun 26: Uruguay 2 Cape Verde 2 (Group H)
24 Jun 26: Brazil 3 v Scotland 0 (Group C)
27 Jun 26: Colombia 0 Portugal 0 (Group K)
03 Jul 26: Argentina 3 Cape Verde 2 (AET) (Rd of 32)
11 Jul 26: England 2 Norway 1 (AET) (QF)
18 Jul 26: England 6 France 4 (3rd Place Play-Off)
Attendance: 64,478
Anthony Gordon earns his place on #205
I'm sharing with Colin at Hotel YVE in Downtown Miami, away from the bright lights of South Beach but quite a bit cheaper
I flew into Miami from Cancun on American Airlines flight AA2665 arriving at 1701 to be met by Mark Garner who drove me to my digs. A quick turn around and we were out on the town in downtown Miami with Duksey and Colin
Colin in 'Mama Tried' on NE 1st Street
Day 2 is matchday so I cross over by bus to South Beach to grab a Free Lions
South Beach is an Art Deco paradise
The Metromover is the elevated free rail network in Downtown Miami and Brickell
Miami-Dade County Courthouse conveniently located by the Irish Bar (Auld Dubliner)
First beers at the Auld Dubliner
Suitably fed and watered we hit the rails
Catching the Metro from Government Centre to Dr Martin Luther King, Jr to get the bus
The last time I went on a yellow school bus was way back in 2010 when me and Sue raced in the American Birkebeiner in Wisconsin
Arrival at Miami Gardens
Crossing the pedestrian bridge
Mexicans who gambled on the Rd of 16 game😉
Stadium approach
My 7th game in the USA and Mexico
Miss Norway
Security
The stadium has been updated since my last visit in 2013. It now has a modern white finish with clean lines and an Art Deco design. It also has an extensive roof canopy
The statue of Dan Marino, the legendary Quarter Back of the Miami Dolphins was unveiled in 2000
Steps v Escalators
Cheers
The open concourse is refreshing
East Gate is where the majority of England fans are. I'm at the 300 Level in 332
Dez and his 'Bricks'
The teams are lining up for the anthems
The North Gate is to our right and in the central lower tier is the Sideline Club - unfortunately this was not available for the WC
The South Gate is to our left and this where the press are located. Norwegian fans are in the far end and behind the goal
The majority of Norwegian fans are in the West Gate
Norwegian Anthem
We've got this 💪
0:0 with 30 mins gone but the Norwegians look dangerous
Norway take the lead through Schjelderup on 36 mins but Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham equalises in first half stoppage time
Another full house 👏
It is all over after AET and England win 2:1
Wonderwall
Leaving the stadium on a high
Feeling relieved as we navigate the way home
We return to the Auld Dubliner to meet Colin and Gurmeet
Day 3: 60th Birthday Party
Bayside for a morning stroll with Colin
The Big Wheel is very tempting but my hangover demands a cool ice cream instead
The waterfront at Bayside
The heat is over bearing so we decide to head to Little Havana
Entering Little Havana
The whole district celebrates Cuban culture
In the early months of 1961 Cuban refugees from Miami flew from Opa-Locka airport to Guatemala to become part of the 1300 men who made up Brigade 2506. The invasion on 17 April 1961 resulted in defeat as 100 men were killed and the remainder imprisoned. The US government negotiated the release of the prisoners to be returned to Miami.
The failed coupe was backed by the CIA and the consequence of it's failure was to push Fidel Castro closer to the Soviet Union. This culminated in near disaster as the Soviets positioned Medium Range Ballistic Missiles with nuclear capability in Cuba (90 miles from the US). This became known as the 'Cuban Missile Crisis', lasting 13 days between 16-28 Oct 62 with President JF Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev taking centre stage
Me and Colin enjoying the sunshine
Marti, Charlie and Dave have showed up for my 60th at Restaurant 'La Trova'
Me and Steve and the Miami birthday girl
Day 4: Little Havana and flight to Atlanta
Calle Ocho, the cultural heart of Little Havana
I went back to Little Havana to kill time before my flight and to sample some more Cuban delights. The lady in the centre is Celia Cruz a famous Cuban/Latin American singer
Roosters on the sidewalk
'Pollo Criollo' - Roast chicken with rice, black beans and caramelised plantains. 😋
Enjoying my Cuban Bowl at El Cuban Diner
The bouncer is a dead ringer for Ian Wright😁
The historic 1926 Tower Theatre is an iconic Art Deco landmark located on Calle Ocho
A mural near Maximo Gomez Park (Domino Park) showing older members of the Cuban community playing dominoes
The 'Libertad (freedom) fist' is the symbol of the exiled Cuban community in Miami
Miami is football
Typical fruit and vegetable store
Florida is the undisputed 'sunshine state' due to it's 230+ days of sunshine it gets a year
