Best World Cup Songs Ever

The rare official tournament song that became larger than the event, combining a simple movement, a durable chorus and a genuinely global afterlife.

The brass fanfare and repeated Spanish chant are engineered for a team entering the field, and Ricky Martin sells every second without irony.

Three unlikely performers converge on one direct festival hook, making the 2018 anthem more effective collectively than any individual verse.

There are too many ingredients, but Santana's guitar gives the Avicii and Wyclef collaboration a human line through the polished production.

It was not the official anthem, yet K'naan's melodic lift and hopeful lyric remain the sound many listeners associate with the 2010 tournament.

Carlinhos Brown brings Brazilian rhythmic authority to a track that feels less like corporate uplift and more like an actual carnival record.

The relaxed groove improved through repetition during the 2022 tournament, with Davido and AISHA giving the collaboration more personality than its title suggested.

Jason Derulo keeps the melody simple enough for a crowd to absorb once, which is exactly the practical requirement of a tournament song.

Shakira returned with Burna Boy and an easy percussive hook that worked across broadcasts, stadiums and ordinary summer listening.

Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte create a crowded global-pop pileup, but the blunt chorus and Brazilian percussion work in a stadium.