Best World Cup Songs by Year: Every Official Song From 1962 to 2026

Every men's World Cup since 1962 has had an official song. A handful outgrew the tournament and became global hits. Here is each one by year, then the ones that last.

The Best of Them

• Waka Waka (2010): the most streamed World Cup song on Spotify, a Guinness World Record, and more than 4 billion YouTube views
• La Copa de la Vida (1998): number one in 30 countries and the song that launched Ricky Martin in the US
• Hips Don't Lie (2006): not the official song, but a Billboard Hot 100 number one, performed at the closing ceremony before the final
• Un'estate italiana (1990): Italy's best-selling single for most of 1990, written by Giorgio Moroder
• World in Motion (1990): England's fan song, and New Order's only UK number one

Every World Cup Song by Year

1962 Chile: El Rock del Mundial

Los Ramblers released it in May 1962. It reached number one in Chile and is listed as the best-selling single in Chilean music history.

1966 England: World Cup Willie

Lonnie Donegan sang it for the tournament's lion mascot, World Cup Willie, the first World Cup mascot.

1970 Mexico: Futbol Mexico 70

Recorded by Los Hermanos Zavala.

1974 West Germany: Fussball Ist Unser Leben

Sung by the West Germany squad themselves. Maryla Rodowicz's Futbol was the other official song.

1978 Argentina: El Mundial

An instrumental composed by Ennio Morricone.

1982 Spain: El Mundial

Sung by the tenor Placido Domingo.

1986 Mexico: El Mundo Unido por un Balon

Written and performed by Juan Carlos Abara.

1990 Italy: Un'estate italiana

Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini sang it and Giorgio Moroder composed it. It was released in December 1989, went to number one in Italy and Switzerland, and was the best-selling single in Italy from January to September 1990. The English version is called To Be Number One.

England's World in Motion by New Order came out the same summer and went to number one in the UK, with a rap by winger John Barnes.

1994 USA: Gloryland

Daryl Hall and Sounds of Blackness performed it at the opening ceremony of the only World Cup the United States has hosted alone. It peaked at 36 in the UK.

1998 France: La Copa de la Vida

Ricky Martin's The Cup of Life was released on March 9, 1998. It reached number one in 30 countries and 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, and he performed it at the final on July 12, 1998. His performance of it at the 1999 Grammys is credited with starting the Latin pop boom in the US.

2002 South Korea and Japan: Boom

Anastacia's Boom was the official song, with an instrumental Anthem by Vangelis. In 2014 MTV Italy named Boom Italy's favorite World Cup song.

2006 Germany: The Time of Our Lives

Il Divo and Toni Braxton sang it at the opening ceremony in Munich on June 9, 2006.

The song people remember from that summer is Hips Don't Lie. Shakira and Wyclef Jean performed it at the closing ceremony in Berlin before the final, and it was a Billboard Hot 100 number one.

2010 South Africa: Waka Waka

Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira featuring the South African band Freshlyground came out on May 7, 2010. It peaked at 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, hit number one across Europe, and Shakira sang it at both the opening and closing ceremonies. Its video has passed 4 billion views on YouTube.

K'naan's Wavin' Flag was the other song of that World Cup, as Coca-Cola's anthem rather than FIFA's. It reached number two in Canada and the UK.

2014 Brazil: We Are One (Ole Ola)

Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte performed it at the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo on June 12, 2014. Shakira's La La La with Carlinhos Brown was the second theme song, and went to number one in Brazil.

2018 Russia: Live It Up

Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi performed it at the closing ceremony at the Luzhniki Stadium before the France vs Croatia final on July 15, 2018.

2022 Qatar: Hayya Hayya, Tukoh Taka and Dreamers

Qatar had a full soundtrack rather than one song.

• Hayya Hayya (Better Together): Trinidad Cardona, Davido and AISHA, the first single
• Arhbo: Ozuna and Gims
• Tukoh Taka: Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares, the Fan Festival anthem, sung in English, Spanish and Arabic
• Dreamers: Jung Kook of BTS with Fahad Al Kubaisi, performed at the opening ceremony on November 20, 2022, and a number one on US Digital Song Sales

2026 USA, Canada and Mexico: Dai Dai

Shakira and Burna Boy's Dai Dai was the official song, with DNA by Andrea Bocelli, David Guetta, Megan Thee Stallion and EJAE as the anthem. The full breakdown, and all 18 tracks on the album, is in World Cup 2026 Songs.

The FootyTracks World Cup Songs

FootyTracks wrote its own songs for 2026: Glory, the tournament anthem, plus fan songs for Spain, Brazil, England, Argentina and Mexico. All of them are in the Listen block above, and the World Cup 2026 collection holds the rest.