The World Cup was launched in 1930, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) began selecting songs to be the official soundtrack of the world football tournament, which is held every four years.
These official anthems, more popular than others, have not only become the soundtrack of the World Cup. They also went on to change the careers of the artists who played them. So did Ricky Martin, who recorded the euphoric official song “Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)” for the 1998 tournament in France.
The Puerto Rican star teamed up with Desmond Child and Draco Rosa to write and produce the song at the height of the “Latin explosion” that saw artists such as Martin reach the British market. The song originally peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, and re-charted at number 45 in August 1999. This international smash also won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.
Another official song that has taken on a life of its own is Shakira’s joyful “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” featuring Afro-fusion band Freshlyground, for a soccer event in South Africa in 2010. With over 4 billion views to date on YouTube, the song peaked at #38 on the Hot 100 chart on July 3, 2010.
In 2022, FIFA changed things by releasing several official songs for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. The first song was the uplifting song “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha. FIFA said it was the first time the tournament had a multi-song soundtrack, with international artists “showcasing a diverse range of musical genres from around the world, setting the tone for a truly global festival.”
Four years later, the organization continued its pattern by collaborating with artists like LISA, Jelly Roll, and Burna Boy to curate another collection of songs for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Note that while World Cup-inspired songs have been released since 1962, not all of them made it into FIFA. The following songs have been recognized as official FIFA theme songs and anthems for each year since 1990:
Below, we rank all official World Cup songs from favorite to favorite.
Anastasia “Boom” (2002)
Held in South Korea and Japan, FIFA named “Let’s Get Together”, performed by various local artists, as the official local song of the tournament. The official song in 2002 was “Boom” by dance artist Anastasia, and the official national anthem was “Anthem” by Vangelis.
Nicky Jam, Will Smith, Ella Istrefi “Live it Up” (2018)
For the 2018 World Cup in Russia, FIFA released the only official song titled “Live It Up” by Nicky Jam featuring Will Smith and Ella Istrefi, which was performed at the tournament’s closing ceremony. The song was recorded in Spanish and English.
Edoardo Bennato & Gianna Nannini “Un’estate italiana (To Be Number One)” (1990)
The official song of the 1990 soccer tournament in Italy was “Un’estate italiana (To Be Number One)”, sung in Italian by Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini and in English by the Giorgio Moroder Project.
Il Divo & Toni Braxton “The Time of Our Lives” (2006)
Darryl Hall “Gloryland” (1994)
The 1994 World Cup was held in the United States, and the official song that year was “Gloryland.” This soulful track featuring saxophone was performed by rock, R&B and soul musician Daryl Hall and the vocal and instrumental ensemble Sounds of Blackness.
Shakira & Burna Boy “Die Die” (2026)
The soundtrack for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, includes “Lighter” by Jelly Roll and Karin Leung, “Por Ella” by Los Angeles Azules and Belinda, and “Echo” by Daddy Yankee and Shenseea. Additionally, Jesse Reyes and Elianna deliver “Illuminate,” LISA, Anitta, and Rema unite for “Goals,” and Shakira returns for round two with a collaboration with Burna Boy titled “Dai Dai.”
Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Claudia Leite “Ole Ola (We Are One)” (2014)
Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Brazilian star Claudia Leite have teamed up for the official trilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) samba-based song “Ole Ola (We Are One).” The official mascot song, “Tatou Bom de Bola”, sung in Portuguese by Arlindo Cruz, and Carlos Santana’s “Dar Um Jeito” (We will find a way), featuring Wyclef, Avicii and Alexandre Pires, became the official national anthem.
Trinidad Cardona, Davido, Aisha “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” (2022)
Image credit: Provided photo
The first official song released by FIFA for the Qatar 2022 World Cup was ‘Hayya Hayya (Better Together)’, an uplifting track that combines R&B and reggae influences, featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha. The soundtrack was later fleshed out by Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Miriam Fares’ “TukohTaka”, Ozuna, Gims, RedOne’s “Arhbo”, Balkis, Nora Fatehi, Rahma Riyadh, Manal’s “Light the Sky”, and BTS’ “Dreamers” by Jung Kook.
Ricky Martin “Cup of Life” (1998)
Image credit: Provided photo
FIFA has announced the official song and official anthem for the 1998 World Cup in France. Youssou N’Dour and Axel Reds had the official anthem titled “La Cour des Grands (Do You Mind If I Play)”. The official song was Ricky Martin’s “Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida),” recorded in both English and Spanish. The song, which marked a major shift in Martin’s career, won him a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance.
Shakira & Freshly Ground “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” (2010)
Image credit: Provided photo
Three official tracks were used as the tournament soundtrack for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa: the official song, the official mascot song, and the official national anthem. The official song was “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” recorded in Spanish and English by Colombian star Shakira and featuring Freshly Ground. The official mascot song is “Game On” by Pitbull, TKZee and Dario G, and the official national anthem “Sign of a Victory” is sung by R. Kelly, featuring the Soweto Spiritual Singers.
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