Read 3 minutesJune 30, 2026 04:24 PM IST
here 2026 World CupMusic is no longer something you hear in the background. It has become a part of the tournament itself, the way the matches are staged and experienced in the stadium.
World Cups have long been remembered by a shared soundtrack. Songs like “Waka Waka” or “La Copa de la Vida” played everywhere from stadiums to television broadcasts. They gave each tournament a unique identity – a voice that belonged to everyone, no matter which team you supported.
This is no longer the case.
The World Cup has moved away from a global anthem. Instead, there are now multiple songs and playlists associated with different teams and different moments from matches. As a second layer to the game, music is being used more deliberately to shape how fans feel in the stadium.
Each team is allowed to choose or submit their own music for specific moments. For example, England players and fans sang Oasis’ “Wonderwall” after their first match, making the 1995 hit the unofficial anthem during celebrations in the United States.
Even a walkout has a new voice. The track from the Michael Jordan era of the Chicago Bulls – the Alan Parsons Project’s “Sirius” as the teams now enter the field – gives the games a more dramatic, cinematic build-up. Instead of waiting for fans to create those moments, organizers are now helping shape them in advance. Music is no longer accidental. It is planned, selected and directly linked to the matched situation.
The result is that the World Cup no longer has a single voice. There is no single national anthem that defines the entire tournament. Instead, several different sounds are playing simultaneously, depending on which teams are playing.
For fans, it makes the experience more personal. Supporters listen to music closer to their own team and culture instead of playing one global track everywhere. It gives teams a chance to express their identity in a different way through voice as well as football.
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But it also changes how the tournament will be remembered. In the past, a song could take people straight to the World Cup. Now, memories can be more fragmented, linked to different matches, teams and moments.
Music is also being used more directly to highlight big moments in the game. Goals, wins and key turning points are now paired with specific tracks meant to amplify emotions in real time. It’s less about background music and more about shaping the atmosphere as it unfolds.
In a way, the World Cup is about as much noise as there is about football. What was once left to the loose, traditional way of stadium speakers is now carefully planned as part of the experience. And that is the biggest change. Music is no longer something that follows the game. It’s now built into it, helping to determine how it feels when it’s being played.