What's happened
A curated playlist highlights the world’s most iconic World Cup songs, with tracks spanning from 1998 to 2026, underscoring football’s cultural reach and how nations celebrate on and off the pitch.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- This piece connects sport and music across generations, showing how World Cup anthems shape national pride and shared memory.
- It foregrounds a mix of familiar hits and newer collaborations to reflect evolving global audiences.
- The playlist offers a narrative arc: from 1998’s La Copa de la Vida to contemporary tracks, illustrating continuity and change in how fans celebrate.
- The selection highlights cross-cultural collaborations, illustrating football’s role as a global connector.
How we got here
The playlist assembles songs tied to past and present World Cup moments, reflecting how music accompanies global football culture across decades.
Our analysis
Independent and Guardian pieces are cited for historical context on past World Cup anthems; AP coverage informs the contemporary playlist choices. Direct quotes from Shakira and Bocelli anchors the piece with artist intent and cross-genre appeal.
Go deeper
- Which anthem has defined your World Cup memory?
- Do you see a shift in the musical styles of recent World Cup songs?
- Which country’s new track would you add to the list?
More on these topics
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Shakira - Colombian singer
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a Colombian singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and philanthropist. Born and raised in Barranquilla, Shakira has been referred to as the Queen of Latin Music and is noted for her versatility in music.
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Freshlyground - South African band (2002-)
Freshlyground is an Afro-fusion pop band formed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2002. Freshlyground is best known for writing, performing and playing the instrumentals of the afrofusion and soca single "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" alongside Colombian singer Shakira, which received worldwide recognition. The music video featuring the group has achieved over 4.2 billion views on YouTube, which has resulted in it becoming one of the most-viewed videos on the platform. After a five-year hiatus, Freshlyground announced their return in late 2024 with new lead vocalist Mbali Makhoba.
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Sergio Ramos - Spanish footballer
Sergio Ramos García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for and captains both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team as a centre back. He has also played as a right back earlier in his career.
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Megan Thee Stallion - American rapper
Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born in Bexar County, Texas and raised in South Park, Houston, Megan Thee Stallion began writing and performing raps as a teenager.
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David Guetta - French DJ
Pierre David Guetta is a French DJ, record producer and songwriter. He has racked up over 50 million record sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011 and 2020, Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll.
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Andrea Bocelli - Italian tenor
Andrea Bocelli OMRI OMDSM is an Italian opera tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma at 5 months old, and became completely blind at age 12, following a football accident.
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Ricky Martin - Singer-songwriter
Enrique Martín Morales, better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, actor, author, record producer, and humanitarian who is known as the "King of Latin Pop" and the "Latin Music King".
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Burna Boy - Nigerian singer
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album L.I.F.E.
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Spain - Country
Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southwestern Europe with some pockets of territory across the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean. Its continental European territory is situated on the Iberian Peninsula.
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Argentina - Country in South America
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the