'Musical masterpiece': New York Times chooses Brazil's Anthem as the best of the World Cup
Gabriel Magalhães, Roger Ibañez and Casemiro, from the Brazilian team, during the playing of the national anthems before the game against Morocco
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Vincent Carchietta
The Athletic, the sports section of The New York Times, chose the Brazilian National Anthem as the best of the 2026 World Cup. The ranking, published this Friday (19), was prepared by sports journalist Tim Spiers, who evaluated the 48 anthems of the teams participating in the tournament.
"Some anthems are average songs that gain strength due to the passionate way in which the fans sing them (hello, United States and Scotland); others are true musical masterpieces (right, Brazil?); and there are still those that don't fit into any of these categories and end up serving only as a good moment for a trip to the fridge or the bathroom before the game", wrote the author (in free translation).
Commenting specifically on the anthem Brazilian, Spiers stated that he "is among the best in the world" and highlighted his "28-second orchestral introduction" as the big difference.
After Brazil, France and Portugal complete the podium of the best World Cup anthems. At the other end of the ranking, England was in last place among the 48 teams evaluated, behind Jordan and Spain.
Best anthems, according to the NYT
Brazil
France
Portugal
Colombia
Scotland
Ecuador
Argentina
Egypt
Uruguay
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Worst anthems, according to the NYT
39. Ghana
40. Croatia
41. Netherlands
42. Qatar
43. Austria
44. New Zealand
45. Germany
46. Spain
47. Jordan
48. England
Follow the 2026 World Cup on ge:
2026 World Cup Simulator
2026 World Cup Calendar: see dates and times of all games
RESULTS: check the World Cup table
Build your squad to face Haiti
Strike the balance against Haiti? Brazil has scored goals in 22.61% of its World Cup games
When is Brazil's next game?
Brazil United
Where to watch the Brazil x Haiti game?
Globo, ge tv and sportv broadcast live. You also watch the games on the real-time page on ge.globo, in addition to seeing exclusive cuts.
Where to watch the World Cup?
Real Time: ge follows all the highlights of the match (click here).
Transmission: Globo, ge tv, sportv, NSports, SBT and Cazé TV.
Players lined up singing the national anthem during the 2026 World Cup.
Reuters/Vincent Carchietta
Source: G1