Erling Haaland ‘to invest’ in new World Championship chess tour | OneFootball

Erling Haaland is among the investors in the new Total Chess World Championship Tour, a project from Norway Chess backed by Magnus Carlsen, The Guardian reports.

The circuit has been initiated by Norway Chess and Norwegian businessman Morten Borge. It is set to offer annual prize money of 2.7 million dollars, €2.3m.

Haaland regards chess as an incredible, mind-sharpening game with clear parallels to football, including quick thinking, trusting instincts and planning several moves ahead.

Supported by FIDE, the governing body, the project will stage four tournaments in four cities each year and crown a combined world champion across three disciplines, namely classical rapid chess, rapid chess and blitz.

A pilot event is planned for autumn 2026, before a full season follows in 2027. The Manchester City striker is the first elite footballer to invest in the sport, while Mohamed Salah is among the chess-playing footballers and managers Pep Guardiola and Enzo Maresca are also keen players.

Source: L'Équipe