Every Time Norway Scores at the World Cup the City of Bergen Trembles
Key takeaways
- Generally, geophysicists use seismometers to measure movements and ground vibrations like the seismic waves generated by earthquakes.
- Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The University of Bergen team first noticed the anomalies during the Norwegian national team’s match against Iraq on June 17, which the team won 4-1.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photograph: Angela Weiss/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story. The city of Bergen, Norway, shook on the night of June 22–23, not because there was an earthquake or an unknown geological phenomenon. But because the Norwegian national team scored a goal during the 2026 World Cup. This curious phenomenon was reported by a team of researchers from the University of Bergen, who found that fan celebrations produce vibrations in the ground so intense they can be detected even by highly sensitive scientific instruments like seismometers.
Generally, geophysicists use seismometers to measure movements and ground vibrations like the seismic waves generated by earthquakes. But during this year’s World Cup, researchers at the University of Bergen have noticed that the seismometer they have in a basement on the campus record anomalous signals during Norway’s matches. The instrument, they note, is capable of detecting ground vibrations with an accuracy of one-millionth of a millimeter.
Here’s WIRED’s complete guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.