Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has become a strategic investor in an upcoming world chess championship tour. Through his company Chess Mates, he is backing Norway Chess, which owns the Total Chess World Championship Tour set to launch next year. The tour will feature four annual tournaments in different cities with a $2.7 million prize pool.
Erling Haaland, the 25-year-old Manchester City and Norway striker, has expanded his interests beyond football by investing in chess. He has partnered with Norwegian businessman Morten Borge to establish Chess Mates, which holds a significant stake in Norway Chess. This organization owns the Total Chess World Championship Tour, scheduled to begin next year with four tournaments in various global cities. The events will include diverse formats such as fast classic, rapid, and blitz chess, offering a minimum annual prize pool of $2.7 million to crown a combined world champion and attract broader audiences. Haaland highlighted the parallels between chess and football in a Total Chess statement: “Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens the mind, and there are clear similarities to football. You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead.” He aims to transform chess “into an even bigger sport for spectators around the world.” Norway Chess chief executive Kjell Madland noted that Haaland has “already contributed with several great ideas.” This venture follows Haaland's launch of a YouTube channel last year, which now has over 1.4 million subscribers, signaling his growing business portfolio.