How Erling Haaland could have played for England at the World Cup

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10 July 2026

Born in Leeds and since thriving in

England

, it could have been so different for the Three Lions

will face up against

Erling Haaland

and

Norway

for a place in the 2026

World Cup

semi-finals this weekend.

Haaland has been in scintillating form in his first

is just one goal shy of Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot

England will have a tricky task on their hands getting to grips with the

Manchester City

forward, and keeping him quiet will be key to success in Miami.

But it all could have been so different for Haaland and the

Three Lions

Born in Leeds, while his father, Alf-Inge, was playing in the Premier League, Haaland could hypothetically have opted to represent

internationally.

Instead, having moved to

when he was just three years old, Haaland’s formative years were spent back in the country of his parents’ birth before he left for Austrian side RB Salzburg at 18.

Haaland’s meteoric rise, from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund to

Man City

, saw him play at every age level for Norway’s youth teams.

You never know how it would be if my father played longer in

... maybe I would be English

He famously scored nine goals in a single game for

against Honduras in the

FIFA

Under-20

, and has previously said in an interview that the decision to represent

was an easy one.

"It was natural for me to choose

,” he told GOAL in 2023.

“You never know how it would be if maybe my father played longer in

or whatever. Maybe I would be English, I don't know. But yeah, I'm Norwegian, and I'm proud of it."

While England’s defenders will have their work cut out to stop Haaland this Saturday, Thomas Tuchel’s side will not be too worried that the 25-year-old goal machine got away from them.

England captain Harry Kane is in the form of his life right now and is one goal behind Haaland in the Golden Boot race.

With the pair set to lock horns in Miami,

supporters could be left with a sense of regret if Haaland performs as he did against Brazil in the last-16.

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