Erling Haaland is preparing to face England in a World Cup quarter-final. Crypto traders, apparently, are preparing to face their own questionable decisions.
As Norway trains at Inter Miami’s facility in Fort Lauderdale ahead of their July 11-12 clash against England at Hard Rock Stadium, a parallel story is playing out on-chain. Trading activity in Haaland-linked digital assets, including a Solana-based meme token and athlete-tied NFTs on the Sorare platform, has spiked following Norway’s round-of-16 victory over Brazil.
From the pitch to the blockchain
Norway’s tournament run has been, by any measure, the story of this World Cup. The squad hasn’t reached a quarter-final since 1998. Haaland scored twice against Brazil on July 6 to send Norway through, cementing his status as a Golden Boot contender. Captain Martin Odegaard and the rest of the squad arrived in South Florida shortly after, setting up camp at Inter Miami’s training grounds.
Practice sessions on July 8 took place under brutal Florida heat. The team reportedly had to switch hotels due to illness concerns within the group, though spirits remained high. Players were seen clapping, cheering, and singing during training.