Dispatches From the England-Norway Quarter Final at Brookfield’s Match Day Live
July 15, 2026
It’s a curious feeling settling down to watch a football telecast in something called the “Winter Garden” when it’s stinking hot outside and the match you’re watching is being played in the stifling heat of the Miami summer. But here we are at Brookfield Place’s Winter Garden to watch the World Cup semi-final between England and Norway, which is being shown on a very large TV screen that has been erected for the rest of the tournament.
The décor, at least, feels suitably tropical. The garden is dotted with palm trees, and the combination of these and the all-glass framework of the garden’s superstructure makes the whole thing feel like being inside a greenhouse, albeit — mercifully — an air-conditioned one. Through July 19, the atrium has been transformed into a “Match Day Live” activation, featuring live match screenings, an indoor soccer pitch, a pop-up Stella Artois Garden Bar, a gaming zone and a youth clinic, all free and open to the public. (Though you do, of course, have to pay for your drinks from the bar.) This is clearly a popular destination for downtown football fans — there’s a decent-sized queue for admission to the garden proper when we arrive, and we’re whisked to one of the few tables left with a vacant seat.
The crowd is pleasantly diverse, too. While there are clearly many Englishmen/women and Norwegians in situ, there are plenty of other nationalities on show. Fans in the sky-blue-and-white stripes of Argentina and the all-red shirts of Switzerland await the second match of the evening, and there are also many of the rich green shirts of Mexico. The non-England/Norwegian fans are split on who to root for, with about half the crowd picking Norway over Harry Kane’s team. Those folks are delighted when Andreas Schjelderup scores in the 36th minute with what’s either a mishit cross or a thoroughly unexpected shot. Either way, it counts the same: 1-0 to Norway.
A bunch of gentlemen behind me seem to have similarly divided into pro-England and pro-Norway camps, and there’s much (good-natured) ribbing of the latter by the former when, a few minutes before half-time, Alexander Sørloth somehow fails to spot an opportunity to play in Erling Haaland — big lad, long hair, best striker in the world, hard to miss, you’d think — what feels like it should be a tap-in. The ribbing intensifies when, barely a minute later, England’s Jude Bellingham picks up a pass in the penalty box and, although he’s left with plenty to do, he does it. 1-1. Have you ever seen ironic rowing? I have now seen ironic rowing.
The second half commences with the arrival of a much-needed pint of Stella for your correspondent and two changes for England, with Arsenal duo Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka replacing their club teammates Noni Madueke and Declan Rice. This drops Bellingham, scorer of England’s goal, into midfield, and seemingly hands Norway control of the game. They score from a corner after 10 minutes or so, and the Winter Garden goes nuts…but wait, the VAR has spotted an infraction before the kick was taken. The Viking celebrations are put on hold.
Chelsea captain Reece James arrives to shore up England’s midfield in the 70th minute, with Norway’s goal-scorer Schjelderup and blinkered striker Sørloth departing around the same time. The changes seem to tip the balance back in England’s favor, but neither side really look like scraping a winner as the rest of the half plays out. Yep, we’re going to extra time. Just watching two teams play 90 sweaty minutes in Miami is exhausting. It’s unfathomable to consider how either side is psyching themselves up for an extra 30. (Let alone penalties.)
As it transpires, the game’s tipping point arrives not long into the first half of extra time. England’s Morgan Rogers wallops a speculative shot that Norwegian keeper Ørjan Nyland should gather easily. Nyland does not gather it, and, of course, Bellingham is there to turn in the loose ball. 2-1. No one has the energy for ironic rowing at this point, just plain old cheering. A lady with a pram, who was halfway to the exit when the room erupted, races back toward the screen and ends up right beside me. “Was it Bellingham? Who scored?” I tell her that it was, because of course it was. “Oh, he’s so good!” she says. Jude’s appeal is already genuinely global, and he’s only 22.
Anyway, England 2 – Norway 1 will prove the final score. As the crowds drain from the Winter Garden, there’s a refreshing air of civility to proceedings — not always the case with football, it must be said. A cracking game, and a lovely place to watch it. Who could ask for more? And if you’d like to experience this for yourself, both the third place and final game will be shown at Match Day Live; just be sure to get there early for a good seat.
Tom Hawking is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor and football fanatic. Find him at his website.
main image: courtesy BFPL
