Norway’s national football team swapped hotels the night before their World Cup quarterfinal against England, fleeing construction noise, mold, and cleaning issues at the Dalmar Hotel in Fort Lauderdale for a beachfront property closer to Hard Rock Stadium. The move, coordinated with FIFA’s help around July 8-9, came one day after arriving at their initial lodging.
While the squad was busy relocating luggage, something interesting was happening in crypto markets. The $HAALAND meme token on Solana saw notable trading volume spikes timed almost perfectly with Norway’s matches, and Kraken, FIFA’s Official Crypto Exchange Supporter, was picking up brand exposure every time cameras panned to Erling Haaland doing Erling Haaland things.
From hotel mold to meme gold
Norway’s journey to the 2026 quarterfinals marks the team’s first World Cup appearance since 1998, a 28-year absence. Led by Haaland, who scored 16 goals during a perfect UEFA qualifying campaign, and captained by Martin Odegaard, the squad topped its group convincingly under coach Stale Solbakken.
Kraken’s FIFA bet is paying dividends in eyeballs
