NEW YORK, July 05 (Reuters): Watching the World Cup and hearing the music in the stadium may have left you wondering - how is that chosen? Is it just coincidence that "Wonderwall" plays after England matches? Are "Freed from Desire" or "Livin' on a Prayer" always played? And why?
The songs are not random. Hundreds - more than 750, in fact, according to soccer governing body FIFA - are chosen in advance. FIFA has a "Stadium Entertainment Team" that works with the participating national associations to create playlists that mix stadium classics with country-specific favourites.
Each team has a "signature" song played when the line-up is announced, a warm-up song, and a track that is played if they score a goal. And one set of fans after each game gets to sing along to the post-match winning-team tune.
The playlists give an interesting cultural snapshot of the World Cup, in which 48 teams participated for the first time in 2026.
Some tracks - such as The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and, yes, 1990s Eurodance hit "Freed from Desire" by Gala, which has been doing the rounds of sports stadiums for at least a decade - have global reach, appearing on more than one list.
Songs like this that become popular have certain 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 context is also key, he added.
"They become associated with a moment if that moment is successful," he said. "Then they stick because that kind of emotion gets kind of attached to the song."
Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" is an example of that, he said. Long popular with different sets of sporting fans, it caught on with England supporters in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the lyrics about "touchin' hands, reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you" took on a particular resonance after months of isolation and lockdowns.
Other songs are country specific.
Argentina, for instance, have chosen Los Fabulosos Cadillacs' "El Matador" (literally, "the killer") as their warm-up and goal song. The track, with its chorus of "Matador! Matador!" may sound like it's celebrating the deadly goal skills of Lionel Messi.
But the reggae-influenced song is really much darker - it's about the Latin American dictatorships and state violence of the 1970s.
DopeNation's irresistible 2025 dance track "Kakalika" is both the signature and goal tune for Ghana. The Ghanaian duo behind it have described it as a blend of national and global music styles and languages that is intended to embrace diversity and encourage listeners to enjoy themselves.
Mexico have chosen three different tracks by Mariachi Vargas, a mariachi
folk band that was founded in 1897, has passed through several generations, and is still going strong today, and South Korea opted for a selection of K-Pop tracks by the likes of Blackpink and BTS.
