The history of the songs played in World Cup stadiums

The songs you hear playing in the stadiums at World Cup games are not chosen randomly. Hundreds of them - more than 750, in fact, according to FIFA - were selected in advance by the "Stadium Entertainment Team".
Together with the national federations participating in the World Cup, this FIFA team creates playlists that combine stadium classics with favorite songs specific to each country.
Brazilian fans in NY during Brazil x Haiti
Caean Couto/Reuters
Each team has a "symbol" song played when the lineup is announced, a song for the warm-up and a track that is played if they score a goal. And, after each game, a group of fans can sing along to the winning team's song after the match.
For Brazil, according to ge's findings, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) produced a special soundtrack for this competition. Fronted by Papatinho, "Bate no Peito" brings together different rhythms in the voices of Ludmilla, João Gomes, Zeca Pagodinho, Samuel Rosa and Veigh.
In the Brazilian team's first victory and after the victory over Scotland, the song that played in the stadiums where the games took place was "Festa", by Ivete Sangalo.
Cultural portrait of the World Cup
The playlists offer an interesting cultural portrait of the World Cup, in which 48 teams participated for the first time in 2026.
Some tracks - such as "Seven Nation Army", by The White Stripes; "Thunderstruck", by AC/DC; and, yes, the 1990s Eurodance hit "Freed from Desire" by Gala, which has been making the rounds in sports stadiums for at least a decade - have a global reach, appearing on more than one playlist.
Songs like these that become popular have a few things in common. They need to be catchy, fun and recognizable, said Andrew Lawn, British author of "We Lose Every Week: The History of Football Chanting." The track, with its chorus "Matador! Matador!", may seem like it's celebrating Lionel Messi's deadly skills in front of goal.
In extra time, Argentina eliminates Cape Verde and advances in the World Cup
Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction
But the song, with reggae influences, deals with Latin American dictatorships and state violence in the 1970s.
DopeNation's 2025 track "Kakalika" is both the symbol song and the goal song of Ghana. The Ghanaian duo behind the song described it as a mix of national and global musical styles and languages, with the aim of embracing diversity and encouraging listeners to have fun.
Mexico chose three different tracks from Mariachi Vargas, a folk mariachi band founded in 1897 that has spanned generations and is still going strong today, while South Korea opted for a selection of K-Pop tracks from artists such as Blackpink and BTS.
When Kylian Mbappé scores a goal for France - once again -, fans will be able to sing along to the song "One More Time", by French electronic music duo Daft Punk, whose lyrics perfectly match the moment.
Australia's theme song is the classic "Down Under" by Men At Work, while Belgium's warm-up is the techno anthem "Pump Up the Jam" by Technotronic.
Sometimes the song choice evolves throughout the tournament in response to fan reactions. Oasis' "Wonderwall" became a fixture following the success of England's first match at the 2026 World Cup - the 4-2 victory over Croatia - when fans sang along.
It was one of his all-time favorite moments wearing the England shirt, connecting the team to the fans, said captain Harry Kane on "Lions' Den".
Similarly, John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" quickly became a favorite among fans in the United States, who had faced criticism online for their somewhat uncreative chant: "USA! USA!".

Source: G1