England looks to end its 60-year World Cup drought

The Three Lions will be competing in their fourth World Cup semifinal. With a win against the defending World Cup champions, England would advance to the final for just the second time, the other coming when it won the tournament 60 years ago.

England’s Jude Bellingham had a brace (two goals) against Norway in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory, which extended into extra time. Afterward, the 23-year-old midfielder was asked if it was more than his wildest dream.

“Probably a bit beyond, to be honest. I’m a confident boy, but I don’t think you go to bed at night dreaming about games like that,” Bellingham told reporters.

Bellingham’s six goals this tournament are tied for the team high with Harry Kane. Kane became England’s all-time leading scorer at this World Cup, while Bellingham has cemented his place as what Kane described as a “game changer.”

Against Norway, Bellingham equalized the match just before halftime after England fell behind 1-0 in the 36th minute. Then, when it needed a hero, he stepped up again, scoring in extra time, in the 93rd minute, to seal a victory and launch another rendition of “Hey Jude” as supporters serenaded him with the Beatles song.

Kane has also come up big for his country in this tournament. In its first knockout match in Atlanta, Congo took a 1-0 lead less than 10 minutes in and held that advantage until Kane scored in the 75th minute and again in the 86th to push England into the next round.

England native and Atlanta resident Stephen Mearman was there to witness Kane’s heroics.

“We had the time of our lives,” Mearman said. “It was incredible. I had been a founding member of Atlanta United, and I had season tickets for nine years, and I haven’t seen the stadium like that since the MLS Cup final in 2018.”

When Mearman first learned that his home of 23 years would host World Cup games, he knew he would have to be a part of it. The news came down in 2022; Mearman immediately called his father in the UK.

“In his mind, he was thinking, ‘Yeah, this is gonna be fantastic, but I’m gonna be 80 years old in 2026,’” Mearman said. “So, a couple of weeks ago, he told me, ‘I was excited when we spoke, but in the back of my mind, I didn’t think I’d be alive in 2026.’”

It’s been a significant family celebration for Mearman, whose son participated as a flag-bearer in the Morocco-Haiti match. As die-hard English fans, they didn’t have skin in that game, but it was special to see Haiti forward Wilson Isidor score, as the Mearmans support his club team, Sunderland, in the Premier League.

Mearman is hopeful he’ll get to see England take another step in bringing the title home by securing last-minute tickets for the match against Argentina.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, with England’s most World Cup appearances, said the lads understand the fans’ sacrifice well.

“We know how much it means to us and we know how much it means to them,” Pickford said. “For them to be out in their voices and every game spend well-earned money and come over and support us, it means a lot, and all we want to do is pay them back.”