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.
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The activity, professors Mathilde Sørensen and Lars Ottemöller said in a statement accompanying their findings, “shows that Bergen is a vibrant city with a lot of energy.” They concluded the statement with “go Bergen, and go Norway.”
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. The signal during that match became especially evident when striker Erling Haaland scored one of his two goals.
A few days later, on the night of June 22–23, during Norway’s 3–2 victory over Senegal, the phenomenon repeated itself: every Norwegian goal produced recognizable vibrations in the data collected by the seismometer.
As the researchers explain, when thousands of people cheer, jump, and shout simultaneously, they generate a significant amount of energy that can travel through buildings and into the ground. In other words, collective enthusiasm has become scientifically measurable in Bergen during this year’s World Cup, and although this isn’t the first time that sporting events—as well as concerts or other large gatherings—have been detected, the case of the city of Bergen represents yet another example of how human activity can be recorded even by instruments designed to study the Earth.
This story originally appeared on WIRED Italia and has been translated from Italian.
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