The songs that became woven into the fabric of World Cups were those sung by fans – the tracks played in pubs and bars across the world. They were not the slick promotional soundscapes that accompanied television montages, but the emotional heartbeat of football’s collective memory. However, as songs have evolved into just another part of FIFA’s marketing machine, football’s global celebration has lost its soundtrack.
World Cup songs originated in the 1970s with the trend of squad-songs as national teams released their own records, and England’s ‘Back Home’ for the Mexico 1970 World Cup is often cited as the forerunner. Somehow, the combination of footballing heroes belting out cheesy lyrics struck the right tone with the public, hitting the number one spot in the UK singles chart.
The squad-song era dominated the World Cup through to the 1990s. While England may not have dominated on the pitch, they did dominate football’s musical landscape. Firstly, came ‘World in Motion’ for Italia ‘90, a collaboration between New Order and the England football team. The song both encapsulated the optimistic mood of 1990s Britain and marked a tonal shift in squad songs – from the plodding beat of marches to a vibrant dance-inspired track. This synth-pop banger, featuring John Barnes’ unforgettable rap, became the perfect soundtrack to accompany England’s run to the semi-finals.
‘Three Lions’, with its famous “It’s coming home” chorus, proved that the most successful football songs did not have to be official tournament songs. Originally written for Euro ‘96, the song became a symbol of the hopes and disappointments of English footballing identity, and a three-times number one hit across two World Cups.
The 1990 World Cup, in Italy, was a pivotal moment for the development of an official song. For the first time, FIFA officially curated and marketed a tournament song, hiring Giorgio Moroder to create ‘To Be Number One’. The song came to life in its hugely successful Italian version, ‘Un’estate Italiana’, performed by Italian rock legends Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato. The searing rock ballad, built around chasing childhood dreams on magical nights, “Sotto il cielo di un’estate italiana” (under the skies of an Italian summer), captured both the hearts and culture of the host nation.
The Italia ‘90 FIFA curated track started the shift towards the globalisation of World Cup songs, and a dilution of the popularity of national anthems. France ‘98 brought us the seismic shift with the official FIFA track, ‘The Cup of Life’ performed by Ricky Martin, marking the arrival of the truly global World Cup anthem. The song successfully blends Latin beats, rock and even ska into a joyful, energetic carnival of music befitting the world’s biggest football tournament.
The irony was that France’s true soundtrack was not FIFA’s official anthem. Unusually, the French national team adopted the Hermes House Band’s remix of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’ as their unofficial anthem. Television cameras captured players singing the track, helping transform the cheesy Euro-pop cover into a symbol of national celebration as Les Bleus went on to lift the trophy.
The musical World Cup formula reached its pinnacle in South Africa in 2010.
For the first World Cup on African soil, FIFA’s official song was Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)’, which blended Latin club beats, an afro-pop rhythm and a powerful unifying message. The track included South African afro-fusion band, Freshlyground, to add authenticity and the local cultural flavour missing since Italia ‘90. ‘Waka Waka’ and its catchy upbeat rhythms went on to become one of the most commercially successful World Cup songs, achieving number one in 15 countries.
What made South Africa the pinnacle of World Cup music folklore was that a second song was embraced as the unofficial anthem. K’naan’s ‘Wavin’ Flag’ was part of a Coca-Cola campaign. Originally a song about poverty and war, the lyrics were updated to focus on unity, football and sporting pride. Heavy drumbeats drive the song with a melodic energy that underpins the hope and positivity of the lyrics, “They’ll call me freedom just like a wavin’ flag”.
South Africa was the rare moment when FIFA’s slick global marketing ambitions and a tournament’s local identity aligned. ‘Waka Waka’ spoke to the worldwide audience, while ‘Wavin’ Flag’ resonated with the football community, driven by the sense of belonging. Two songs captured the African identity that the tournament itself embraced, and gave us a soundtrack that felt inseparable from the on-field memories.
Unfortunately, since then, the polished production of FIFA releases – such as ‘Hayya Yayya (Better Together)’ for Qatar 2022 and ‘Dai Dai’ for 2026 – feel far more formulaic, and have struggled to become associated with a specific place or footballing memory.
The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup in history in terms of the number of teams competing, stadium audiences and global television audience. The tournament generates billions in sponsorship revenue, and footballers from different nations are now global brands in their own right. Yet, despite this, the official anthem is increasingly unlikely to enter World Cup folklore.
The commercialism and professionalism that is making the tournament such a success has stripped away the heart of World Cup music. The greatest football songs were either born from or adopted by supporters and not created by a committee. They defined cultures, places and moments that captured how a particular nation, or a group of fans, felt at the time. That’s why ‘World in Motion’, ‘Un’estate Italiana’, ‘Waka Waka’ and ‘Wavin’ Flag’ still evoke memories years later, while many struggle to remember the songs from more recent tournaments.
Boardrooms may be able to plan successful tournaments, but they cannot manufacture emotions. The best World Cup songs will come, as they always have, from supporters, who understand that the soundtrack to football, however global it becomes, will always be about giving the fans somewhere to belong.