Chess Grandmaster Backs His Nation: "We'll Roll Over Iraq and Reach the Quarter-Finals"

The world's top-ranked chess player is currently in Hong Kong, where the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship begins on Wednesday. If Carlsen wants to watch Norway's matches, he'll have to sacrifice some sleep. The Scandinavian nation will kick off their first World Cup since 1998 at 6 AM Hong Kong time.

Carlsen isn't bothered. "Currently, I don't stay up to watch games, nor do I wake up earlier. But when Norway plays, I'll change that. I'll definitely watch the match," he was quoted by AFP.

The 35-year-old Carlsen believes Norway will build on their dominant qualification campaign, advance from their group, and find success in the later stages of the tournament. "First, we'll roll over Iraq, and then we'll maintain that momentum and progress further. Right now, I think we'll reach the Round of 16, and from there, we'll embrace the role of the underdog. A quarter-final appearance is realistic in my opinion." After their opening Group I match against Iraq (June 17, 00:00 CEST), Norway faces tougher tests against Senegal and France.

Recently, the connection between chess and football has become increasingly prominent. Norwegian striker Haaland invested in a tournament in March, which the International Chess Federation (FIDE) hailed as one of the biggest changes in modern chess. Haaland's compatriot Martin Ødegaard also regularly plays chess, and England's Eberechi Eze won an amateur tournament in May 2025, taking home £15,000.

According to multiple world champion Carlsen, there are far more similarities between the sports than people realize. "The strategy isn't that different. Of course, football is more dynamic. But the core is the same. You try to control spaces, overload one area, and then switch the play from one side to the other, control the midfield, and so on," Carlsen concluded.