FIFA has confirmed that there is “no evidence” the ball hit an overhead wire prior to England’s equalizing goal against Norway in their World Cup quarterfinal match, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Three Lions.
During the match, a goal kick appeared to make contact with a wire above the field just before Jude Bellingham scored England’s tying goal late in the first half.
According to the rules, if the ball had indeed struck the wire, the game would have been halted for a drop ball to determine possession.
FIFA stated, “Before England’s goal in the 45+2 minute against Norway, the sensor in the Connected Ball did not register any peaks in the ‘heartbeat of the ball’ while airborne, indicating no contact with the overhead wire that would have altered its trajectory.”
In this instance, play continued without interruption, and it remains unclear if the video assistant referee, Jerome Brisard, reviewed the incident. Brisard also served in a VAR capacity during the earlier Argentina vs. Egypt match, in which Argentina came back to win 3-2, prompting complaints about officiating fairness from Egypt.
Norway’s goalkeeper, Ørjan Nyland, took the initial kick that led to the contentious play, which England quickly seized upon after the ball’s trajectory changed, seemingly indicating it grazed one of the cables supporting a robotically operated camera. The ball eventually reached Bellingham, who scored with a low shot to the far post.
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’ when in the air, and therefore no evidence that the ball touched the overhead wire and changed the movement of the ball. pic.twitter.com/gYf9ukfveT
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 11, 2026
Nyland expressed his frustration by slapping the ground, and he, along with Norway’s star striker Erling Haaland and coach Ståle Solbakken, confronted referee Clement Turpin at halftime.
Solbakken remarked post-match, “He said he didn’t see it and received no indication that it occurred. FIFA claims there was no contact and thus no signal from the chip in the ball, leaving the referee with no recourse. But it did drop straight down… It touched the wire.” He also emphasized that this incident was not the reason for Norway’s defeat, stating, “Let’s not make this the central story of the match.”
Earlier in the tournament, a ball sensor was instrumental in disallowing a potential equalizer for Croatia against Portugal after confirming the ball had touched a Croatian player, resulting in an offside ruling.
In the Argentina vs. Egypt match, a goal by Egypt was annulled in the 58th minute following a VAR check, which determined that Marwan Attia had fouled Argentina’s defender Lisandro Martínez.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.