Shearer Believes England Can Win World Cup After Mexico Win
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Alan Shearer reversed his pre-tournament skepticism after watching England beat Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, saying he now believes the team can win the World Cup.
- Shearer, who is 55, called the Mexico victory the best England team performance he has witnessed in his lifetime, particularly away from home, praising the side's response to going down to 10 men, the altitude, and the hostile atmosphere.
- Thomas Tuchel earned praise for his substitutions, with Shearer noting that dressing-room footage of John Stones pretending to be injured before dancing with teammates illustrated the squad's togetherness.
- Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham again delivered the goals against Mexico, but Shearer said the wider squad stepping up is what gives England a chance to go deep in the tournament.
- Erling Haaland is the central threat in England's quarter-final against Norway in Miami, having scored twice to knock out Brazil, with Shearer arguing there is no way to stop him and that England must instead restrict his supply.
- Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly, and John Stones are Haaland's Manchester City teammates, though Shearer said that familiarity is irrelevant because "we all know him" from the Premier League.
- Shearer framed the Norway match as a potential Golden Boot shootout between Kane and Haaland, calling both "world class" and noting their identical "thirst for goals."
Why it matters: A former England captain publicly upgrading his belief from skepticism to genuine World Cup title contention carries symbolic weight heading into a quarter-final where England's Premier League-based defenders must contain Haaland without a known formula for stopping him.
