Logan Paul, the influencer-turned-WWE-star whose name is practically synonymous with controversial crypto projects, took to X to blast Norway striker Alexander Sorloth after the country’s 2-1 loss to England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
“The entire country of Norway lost because one guy wanted to have a moment,” Paul wrote, joining a tidal wave of social media criticism aimed at Sorloth for choosing to shoot rather than pass to Erling Haaland during a wide-open opportunity in the 43rd minute.
The play that launched a thousand posts
Here’s what happened. Norway entered the quarter-final against England as co-favorites, holding a 1-0 lead and building momentum. Then came the 43rd minute.
Sorloth found himself with the ball and a clear passing lane to Haaland, arguably the most lethal striker on the planet. Instead of feeding his teammate, Sorloth took the shot himself. It didn’t go in.
Norway went on to lose 2-1, and the internet did what the internet does. Sorloth became the main character of social media for all the wrong reasons, with fans, pundits, and apparently Logan Paul piling on.
Sorloth later addressed his decision publicly, though the backlash had already taken on a life of its own. Norway’s World Cup dream ended in the quarter-finals, and a single missed pass became the narrative.
Why crypto cares when Logan Paul talks
Paul’s history in the digital asset space is, to put it diplomatically, colorful. He was a central figure in the CryptoZoo project, which promised a gamified NFT ecosystem and instead delivered lawsuits, investigations, and a lot of angry investors. The project became one of the more prominent cautionary tales of the NFT boom era, the subject of a lengthy Coffeezilla investigation that drew millions of views.
So when Paul’s name trends on social media for any reason, crypto traders reflexively check whether there’s a token attached. In this case, there isn’t. No new meme coin launch, no NFT drop timed to the World Cup drama, no on-chain activity tied to the viral moment.
The influencer-to-crypto pipeline isn’t dead
Celebrity-backed crypto projects have been a recurring theme throughout multiple market cycles. From Kim Kardashian’s SEC settlement over EthereumMax promotions to the wave of celebrity meme coins that dominated Solana earlier in this cycle, the pattern is well-established.
For crypto investors, the takeaway isn’t about soccer. It’s about maintaining awareness of how quickly cultural moments can be weaponized into financial products. When a figure with Paul’s crypto track record goes viral, it’s worth watching whether opportunistic actors try to ride the wave.
This time, the viral moment stayed in its lane. Paul yelled about a soccer play, people agreed or disagreed, and that was that. No tokens were harmed in the making of this controversy.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
