Music Is Complimenting Magical Moments at the FIFA World Cup

By Jaime Villalpando and Will Robson

July 8th, 2026

Since the opening whistle on June 11, iconic national songs have echoed through the 16 cities hosting this year's FIFA World Cup. From Brazilian fans dancing to phonk in downtown Manhattan to Mexican supporters dancing to cumbia in Guadalajara, the tournament's soundtrack extends far beyond chants from the stands.

All 48 nations who qualified for the World Cup have signature songs which play throughout the stadium after its team scores a goal. For some nations, classic songs of nationalism and pride play through the stadium's sound system, while others choose more recognizable and emphatic songs to represent their national identity.

Whether it was Mexico’s unofficial anthem, “El Rey,” ringing out from more than 80,000 fans stadium to stadium throughout their hopeful run, or England players and fans coming together to capture an emotional moment together by singing Oasis’s Wonderwall, music is defining the most memorable moments at the world’s biggest stage.

For the last 14 years, France has adopted  Daft Punk’s ‘One More Time,” as their world cup anthem, a chorus that has since become woven into the very identity of French football fandom.

One More Time” feels like a celebration in motion. It’s not a traditional football chant, but its repetition, energy, and euphoric melody  make it a natural fit  with the enthusiastic energy that French fans are now known for. . 

South Korea and Spain have also chosen more mainstream tracks to soundtrack their world cup appearances, including songs by their respective nations’ artists, BLACKPINK and Rosalía.

Across host cities, music has become another expression of national pride, turning streets, plazas, and fan zones into celebrations of culture as much as competition.

Songs preserve the feeling of a tournament, the pride of a nation, the personality of a player, and the energy of fans before and after a goal. In stadiums, music and chanting allow thousands of people to move, sing, and react as one. That shared sound becomes part of the memory itself.

Videos of Bosnians marching and chanting through the streets of Inglewood in Los Angeles before their game vs Switzerland, and Mexicans and Koreans dancing to Gangnam Style in the streets of Guadalajara, will live forever.

Football gives us the moment; the sounds converge with the memory.