Official anthems and games dedicated to the World Cup. How the tour turns into a global spectacle
Since 1990, FIFA has had official anthems at every edition of the World Cup. The songs associated with the final tournament, however, have appeared since the first edition of the World Cup in 1930. In terms of video games, FIFA first licensed the rights for the edition in Mexico 1986. The trend is also maintained for the final tournament in 2026, which will be organized by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
So far, there have been 24 official World Cup anthems throughout history, starting in 1990. In addition, the 2026 edition will have more official anthems. The full list is as follows:
World Cup 1990
- An Italian Estate (Edoardo Bennato, Gianna Nannini)
- To Be Number One (Giorgio Moroder Project)
World Cup 1994
- Gloryland (Daryl Hall, Sounds of Blackness)
World Cup 1998
- La Copa de la Vida (Ricky Martin)
- La Cour des Grands (Youssou N'Dour, Axelle Red)
World Cup 2002
- Let's Get Together Now (Voices of KOREA/JAPAN)
World Cup 2006
- The Time of Our Lives (Il Divo, Toni Braxton)
- Zeit dass sich was dreht (Herbert Grönemeyer, Amadou & Mariam)
World Cup 2010
- Waka Waka (Shakira, Freshlyground)
- Game On (Pitbull, TKZee, Dario G)
- Sign of a Victory (R. Kelly, Soweto Spiritual Singers)
World Cup 2014
- We Are One (Ole Ola) (Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Leitte)
- Tatu Bom de Bola (Arlindo Cruz)
- Dar um Jeito (Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Avicii, Alexandre Pires)
World Cup 2018
- Live It Up (Nicky Jam, Will Smith, Era Istrefi)
World Cup 2022
- Hayya Hayya (Trinidad Cardona, Davido, AISHA)
- Arhbo (Ozuna, GIMS, RedOne)
- Arhbo (Arabic version) (Nasser Al-Kubaisi, Ayed, Haneen Hussein)
- The World Is Yours To Take (Tears for Fears, Lil Baby)
- Light The Sky (Nora Fatehi, Balqees, Rahma Riad, Manal, RedOne)
- Tukoh Taka (Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Myriam Fares)
- Dreamers (Jung Kook, Fahad Al Kubaisi)
World Cup 2026
- Lighter (Jelly Roll, Carín León)
- Por ella (Belinda, Los Ángeles Azules)
- Echo (Daddy Yankee, Shenseea)
- Dando Vueltas (Rauw Alejandro)
Songs that marked the history of the World Cup
Among the official songs that marked the history of the World Cup, the first of the most famous is the one from the 1998 edition. Ricky Martin released La Copa de la Vida, and the song rang out in stadiums in France, becoming an international hit at the time. The album that contained this song sold over 6 million copies.
Bosnia is ready for the soccer World Cup. The national team that left Italy at home has announced its squad
Also, another well-known song is Waka Waka, released by Shakira on the occasion of the World Cup in 2010. The song had over 15 million digital downloads, being one of the performers at the time of its release. It also has over 4 billion views on YouTube.
Games dedicated to the World Cup
FIFA licensed the image rights to game manufacturers starting in 1986. The first licensed game was called World Cup Carnival and was released on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC in 1986. Although the graphics were limited, it was a good starting point for football fans.
Virgin then acquired the rights to the 1990 edition, organized by Italy. It was basically a modified version of World Trophy Soccer. A major step was taken in 1998 when the World Cup 98 game was released. It was the first game in history to feature the official logos and game kits. It also featured voice-overs from Des Lynam and Gary Lineker.
In 2006, EA Sports created a game that for the first time included the possibility to play a qualification campaign. There were a total of 127 national teams and the game was based on FIFA 06. Also in 2010, the number of teams increased to 199, out of a total of 204 national teams present in the qualifiers.
Argentina have announced Messi's World Cup lieutenants. The Cougars are going to defend their world title
The 2018 and 2022 editions were not official games, but DLCs released by EA Sports for those who had the game. Instead, at the 2026 edition, FIFA announced the launch of the FIFA Heroes game, which will be available on Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox. Video slots dedicated to the World Cup have also been created, one of the most famous being Football Carnival, dedicated to the 2014 edition in Brazil.
The World Cup starts on June 11
The World Cup will be played between June 11 and July 19 and will be organized by the USA, Canada and Mexico. For the first time in history, the final tournament will feature 48 teams, instead of 32, which means more matches and more possible surprises.
According to the antepost odds displayed on the platform https://topbet.ro/ro/, the big favorites for the trophy are Spain, England, France, Brazil and the en-titre champion Argentina. France impresses with the experience gained in the last two editions, while Spain comes with an extremely talented and attacking generation. England continue to have one of the most valuable squads in the world, and Brazil and Argentina remain teams with huge tradition and decisive players. Specialists believe that the 2026 edition could be one of the most unpredictable in the history of world football.
