Erling Haaland’s Stanley Cup Finals Detour During World Cup Prep In Greensboro Goes Viral

The Carolina Hurricanes are one game away from winning their second Stanley Cup overall and first since 2006.

Erling Haaland’s Stanley Cup Finals Detour During World Cup Prep In Greensboro Goes Viral

Erling Haaland and the Norwegian team made a trip of more than a 100km to watch the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Vegas Golden Knights (Image via @NHL and @Sportsnet on X)

The Carolina Hurricanes had a new fan in their home on Thursday to cheer them in Game 5 against the Vegas Golden Knights: Erling Haaland. The Norwegian soccer star was buzzing with the home crowd throughout the game as the Canes cruised to a 4-2 win and took the Stanley Cup Finals lead for the first time.

The Norwegian men’s national team is stationed at the Grandover Resort and Spa in Greensboro, while the University of North Carolina will serve as their training ground for the group stages. Since arriving in the city a few days ago, the Norwegian team has been out and about to acclimate themselves to the hot climate conditions of the United States of America.

For a change, a bunch of their players decided to join in on the other big sporting celebration of their temporary hosts, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since their maiden win in 2006. After a tough start, the Canes had rallied to tie the series before the sensational win on Thursday.

Haaland was joined by his teammates, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Sander Berge, Leo Skri Østigård, and few others in Raleigh. The former was particularly enthralled by the electric energy in the rink, celebrating the goals and dancing in elation after the win. The videos of Haaland jumping and vibing have taken over the internet in quick fashion.

In a Snapchat video posted by the star, he even called the sport his new favorite.

Ice Hockey has been one of the rising sports in the Scandinavian countries in the past month after their men’s team defeated Canada in an overtime thriller to win their first-ever medal in the World Championships. The winning team was even welcomed during the football team’s last game in Norway before flying to North Carolina.

As for Game 5 in Raleigh, Andrei Svechnikov scored two power-play goals for the hosts. Jordan Staal continued his stellar performance, extending his goals in the final series to six. The remaining goal was scored by Sebastian Aho. Nikolaj Ehlers had yet another multiple-point game with three assists to his name. For the Golden Knights, Pavel Dorofeyev netted both goals.

Brandon Bussi, who replaced Frederik Andersen in Game 4 for the Canes, had a stellar game again, saving 23 of 25 shots sent his way.

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There are a lot of expectations on Erling Haaland’s shoulders to deliver

Making their first World Cup in 28 years, there are a lot of fans expecting from the Norwegian soccer team. Erling Haaland is undoubtedly the cynosure of the team, meaning there’s extreme pressure on the Manchester City forward to deliver in North America.

Erling Haaland (Image via BBC)
Erling Haaland (Image via BBC)

Norwegian journalist Petter Veland claimed that there’s an expectation for Haaland to score in every match of the World Cup.

“Yes. This is a national-team player who has averaged more than a goal per game over a long period. It may sound absurd, but it’s realistic to expect him to score in every World Cup match,” Veland told VG

Veland also added that there’s a chance Haaland could score a brace or more against Iraq if the team creates enough chances. Kjetil Rekdal, who has 83 caps for Norway’s senior team, had a similar thought. Rekdal said that Norway’s success depends on the team feeding Haaland with enough chances to capitalize.

He pointed to Haaland’s performances in Manchester City, where the forward had limited touches on the ball when there were fewer chances.

Norway’s World Cup campaign starts on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, against Iraq at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Boston. They are grouped in Group I along with 2022 champions France and Senegal.

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