Premier League icons Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are leading a new wave of footballers who have developed a passion for chess, helping to spark a surge in the game’s popularity—especially among younger fans.
Manchester City striker Haaland is so captivated by chess that he’s not just a player, but now an investor. He has recently backed an innovative new chess tour, aiming to take the game to greater heights and build on the buzz generated by its celebrity enthusiasts.
Haaland isn’t alone. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, known for his speed on the pitch, is equally relentless when it comes to blitz chess, regularly logging in to play rapid-fire matches online under an anonymous profile. “I’m addicted to chess. Every day, literally every day,” the Egyptian star admitted.
Other footballers, including England internationals Harry Kane, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Anthony Gordon, also count themselves as keen chess players. Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have joined the club too, with Eze notably clinching an amateur tournament win in 2025.
Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, a five-time world champion and avid football fan, has become a bridge between the two worlds. Carlsen once famously defeated Alexander-Arnold in just 17 moves during a lightning-fast game, highlighting the skill gap between the worlds’ best chess minds and top footballers.
The chess connection even extends to body art—AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic sports a queen tattoo, a nod to his grandfather who introduced him to the game. Meanwhile, footballing stars beyond the Premier League, like France’s Antoine Griezmann and Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal, are also chess aficionados.
At first glance, the cerebral strategy of chess may seem worlds apart from football’s physical intensity. But, as Haaland points out, there are deep similarities: “Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football. You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and plan several moves ahead.”
This growing crossover is now being formalized with a new, FIDE-backed chess tour, set to host four tournaments annually across major cities, offering a minimum £2 million prize pool each season. The tour will crown a world champion across three fast-paced chess disciplines: classic, rapid, and blitz.
“Seeing a world-class athlete like Erling Haaland join the Total World Chess Championship Tour is a powerful signal of the global attention and cultural relevance that chess enjoys today,” said FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich.
While chess has ancient roots stretching back to seventh-century India, the modern game’s popularity has exploded thanks to online platforms and high-profile influencers. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, and FIDE now estimates that at least 1.5 billion people have a chess app on their phone.
Television hits like “The Queen’s Gambit” and the visible passion of football’s biggest stars have helped transform chess’s reputation, making it cool, fast-paced, and accessible.
Even managers have drawn parallels between chess and football tactics. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola once remarked, “You have no idea how similar the two things are,” while Carlsen likened controlling the chessboard’s center to dominating the pitch: “If you control the middle, you control the pitch or the board.”
But for all the excitement of a perfectly executed checkmate, the thrill of scoring a decisive goal still reigns supreme for football’s chess-loving stars. “I use chess to switch off,” said England captain Harry Kane. “It’s such a mental game. You have to focus on every moment.”
With football’s biggest names making their moves on the chessboard, the two worlds have never been closer—and the game of kings is enjoying its brightest spotlight yet.
