The Winger Puzzle: England vs Norway at the 2026 World Cup

What’s the Big Deal About Wingers?

Before England play Norway, everyone talks about Harry Kane (England) and Erling Haaland (Norway). These two are like the superstars who stand near the opponent’s goal to score. They are easy to predict: they will play, and they will probably score.

But there is a trickier question for the coaches (called managers): who should play as the wingers?

ELI5: Imagine the football field as a big rectangle. The players who run along the left and right edges (near the sidelines) are called wingers. They try to bring the ball forward and pass to the strikers (like Kane and Haaland) in the middle. Both teams have changed their wingers a lot this summer, so it’s a mystery who will start.

England’s Winger Situation

England’s manager is Thomas Tuchel. He has four wingers to choose from:

• Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford usually play on the left side.
• Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka usually play on the right side.

After the first game against Croatia, Tuchel said: "All four of the wingers are competing against each other at the highest level."

Here are the simple facts:

• None of these four has played more than 57% of the total possible minutes in the World Cup.
• None has started more than three out of the five matches.
• Tuchel has tried five out of the six possible pairs of wingers. He did not pair Gordon and Rashford together because both like the left side.
• In each match, Tuchel has substituted (swapped out) his wingers earlier and earlier.

Important: A red card (which means a player is sent off and cannot continue) for Jarell Quansah against Mexico changed things. After Quansah was sent off in the 54th minute, Saka was taken off, and England played without wingers for a while.

A Pattern We Noticed

Here are the steps of a pattern in England’s last three matches:

1. A game ends with two certain wingers on the field.
2. The very next game starts with those same two wingers.

Also, Tuchel may pick wingers based on the opponent’s style:

• Gordon runs with the ball the farthest on average (14.9 metres per carry).
• Madueke covers the most total distance while running with the ball per 90 minutes (255.8 metres).
• Rashford is best at running with the ball (at least 5 metres) and then shooting; he scored against Croatia.
• Saka is great at creating goals after running with the ball. Only two players in the whole tournament have done this better, and one of them is Norway’s Andreas Schjelderup.

Norway’s Winger Situation

Norway’s manager is Ståle Solbakken. He is more predictable with his wingers than Tuchel.

• The pair of Antonio Nusa and Alexander Sørloth started three of the four "first-team" matches.
• Schjelderup and Oscar Bobb finished (played at the end of) each of those matches.

Schjelderup only started one game when Solbakken made 10 changes for the last group game against France. But he then assisted Haaland for both goals against Brazil, so the 22-year-old might start against England.

All four assists (passes that lead directly to a goal) from these Norwegian wingers came from the left side.

Important: Because all of Norway’s winger assists came from the left, the England player on the right-back position (the defensive player on the right side) must block the passes to Haaland. Stopping that supply line is key!

Why the Wingers Could Decide the Match

Everyone will look at Kane and Haaland for headlines. But the wide players (wingers) might actually decide who wins. For Norway’s defenders, they must stop England’s varied wide threats. For England’s defenders, they must especially watch Norway’s left-side wingers feeding Haaland.

Summary

• Kane and Haaland are sure to play and likely score, but the winger choices are the real puzzle.
• England’s Tuchel is still experimenting, using different pairs, influenced by opponent and match events like red cards.
• Norway’s Solbakken sticks to a more fixed plan, with Nusa/Sørloth starting and others finishing, but Schjelderup’s recent impact may change that.
• All of Norway’s winger assists came from the left, so England’s right-back must cut off Haaland’s supply.
• The match may be won or lost based on which wingers perform best.

FAQ

1. What is a winger in football?
A winger is a player who stays on the sides (left or right) of the field. They run with the ball and try to pass it to the striker in the middle to score.

2. Why is England’s winger choice so complicated?
Because Tuchel has four good wingers, none has played too much, and he keeps changing them. He also has to think about which side they prefer and what the opponent needs.

3. Who is Andreas Schjelderup?
He is a 22-year-old Norwegian winger who usually plays on the left. He assisted Haaland twice against Brazil and might start against England.

4. What happened in England’s match against Mexico?
A defender named Jarell Quansah got a red card (sent off) in the 54th minute. Soon after, winger Saka was taken off, and England played without wingers for a time.

5. Why might the wingers be more important than the star strikers in this match?
While strikers get the glory, the wingers provide the passes and runs that create chances. The article shows that Norway’s assists all came from wingers on the left, and England’s wingers have special skills that could break the game open.