FIFA Makes Controversial Claim About England Goal Against Norway That Appeared To Hit Camera Cable

Jude Bellingham was the hero for England once again, netting twice—including the extra-time winner—to secure a 2-1 victory over Norway and book a spot in the 2026 World Cup semifinals.

But the Three Lions’ progression hasn’t come without its fair share of controversy. Critics argue England were fortunate to even force extra time, thanks to a heavily disputed equalizer just before halftime and a Norway goal that was overturned by VAR.

Now, FIFA has officially addressed the most contentious moment of all: Bellingham’s first strike, which came in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and leveled the score at 1-1.

Norway had taken the lead in the 36th minute through Andreas Schjeldrup, whose stunning lob sailed over Jordan Pickford and kissed the far post on its way in.

But England hit back quickly, with Bellingham finishing off a counterattack right before the break. The goal, however, sparked immediate uproar.

Television replays appeared to show that Norway goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland’s goal kick struck the skycam cable near the halfway line, causing the ball to abruptly drop to the ground mid-flight. Under the laws of the game, the referee should have stopped play immediately and restarted with a drop ball. Instead, the action continued and led to England’s equalizer.

In response, FIFA’s official X account released a statement insisting that data from the Adidas Connected Ball technology showed no anomaly. “Before England’s goal in minute 45+2 against Norway, the sensor in the Connected Ball showed no peak in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ while in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed its movement,” the statement read.

The same sensor system, embedded in Adidas’s Tricolore ball, is designed to detect even the subtlest motion. Earlier in the tournament, it was used to rule out a potential Croatia equalizer against Portugal after detecting that forward Igor Matanović’s hair brushed the ball while he was offside.

Yet, if the ball didn’t strike the cable, many are left wondering what else could explain its sudden, unnatural dip in midair.

To make matters worse for Norway, they later had what appeared to be a go-ahead goal disallowed after VAR ruled that striker Erling Haaland had committed a foul in the buildup.

Norway will understandably feel hard done by, while England march on to the final four amid a cloud of debate.