SAMARA, Russia—It was the night before the Super Bowl, and sitting courtside at the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game was a man who had traveled all the way from England with his mind intensely focused on another global sports event: the World Cup.

There has never been anyone more interested in a Pelicans vs. Timberwolves matchup than England manager Gareth Southgate.

Southgate bombarded his companions with detailed inquiries about strategy, arena operations and even Crunch, the wolf mascot. Chris Wright, the chief executive of the local MLS team Minnesota United, was stunned by his curiosity about this sport that’s about as British as sauerkraut.

“Here’s this English guy, the England team manager, trying to figure out Basketball 101,” Wright said.

But these are strange days for England. They have emerged as a serious contender at the World Cup. They lucked into the weaker half of the knockout bracket. They play Colombia on Tuesday for a spot in the quarterfinals. And they can attribute some of their unlikely success in soccer to basketball.