The Best World Cup Songs — And the Ones You May Have Forgotten

For the 2006 tournament, held in Germany, European classical group Il Divo and R&B icon Toni Braxton leaned into their strengths as musicians with a ballad-like entry into World Cup anthems, switching up the format of hype-up tracks. Against the swell of an orchestra, their voices unite to sing about the “glory and the pain” of making it to the big game.

This song was named after the Arabic interjection for “let’s go” and packs all of that rousing energy into an Afrobeat pop song with Middle Eastern inflections. “You know we’re better together,” American singer Trinidad Cardona, Nigerian star Davido and Qatari singer Aisha all sing together in the final chorus, demonstrating the cross-cultural element inherent in World Cup music.

The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup was in 1994, and that year, Daryl Hall was tapped to sing over “Gloryland,” inspired in part by Civil War-era song “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Because, really, what screams U.S. patriotism more than half of Hall & Oates evoking a battle cry with a gospel choir in tow?

Something was in the air in 2014. With Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Avicii, and Brazilian singer Alexandre Pires at the helm, this track blends genres from rock to EDM and even hints of samba. The anthemic quality is underlined by Wyclef Jean’s inspirational lyrics as he addresses underprivileged children across the world: “Ain’t no mountain you can’t reach /Grab a star and make a wish.”

After the success of Shakira’s 2010 “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” two more Latin music icons decided to give the World Cup anthem a try. On the 2014 track, Pitbull lives up to his Mr. Worldwide moniker with signature whistles that perfectly blend against the Afro-Brazilian rhythms, while J-Lo delivers Boricuan bars in contrast to Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte’s sleek vocals. The song is a blast, but admittedly more reminiscent of mid-2010s club culture than soccer games.

Real talk, we have Chilean rockers Los Ramblers to thank for kicking off all of the wondrous World Cup music. Back in 1962, when the tournament was hosted in Chile, the band released this festive rockabilly track ahead of the first game as a way to cheer on the national team with Chilean chants and fun riffs. Los Ramblers weren’t even being contracted by FIFA but it turns out that didn’t matter — people love a sports soundtrack, no matter what. “El Rock del Mundial” became an instant hit in South America (and still remains one of the best-selling records in Chilean music history), which planted the seed of an idea in FIFA’s mind.

If Ricky Martin created the World Cup global hit blueprint, Shakira elevated the formula with the unifying “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which blends Afro-Colombian elements with South African music styles. The track was inescapable in 2010; you didn’t even have to tune into any matches to hear it. In 2024, it became the most streamed FIFA World Cup song and even earned a Guinness World Record. “It’s one of my biggest songs of all time,” Shakira said earlier this year. “But beyond what it did for my music and career … it turned me into my mother.” On the set of “Waka Waka,” the superstar met professional football player Gerard Piqué, the father of her two children. After all of these years, Shakira continues to honor the song by making it a staple of her concert setlists.

Ricky Martin literally changed the game with this samba-infused anthem. “La Copa de la Vida,” or “The Cup of Life” was the first official FIFA-sponsored song to skyrocket in popularity and turned into a global pop mega-hit, reaching Number One in 30 countries. With the vivacious track and its celebratory video, the Puerto Rican singer and former boy band member rocketed into stardom. But the impact of “La Copa de la Vida” extends far beyond that year’s tournament. At the 1999 Grammys ceremony, Martin delivered a monumental performance of the song, effectively launching Latin pop’s late Nineties explosion into high-gear. In his 2010 memoir, Me, Martin recognized the pivotal moment, writing, “It was a unique opportunity to introduce the charms of Latin music to the rest of the world.”