For the past 32 years, music has been produced for the FIFA World Cup. Some have become classics that get replayed for years to come, while others get dragged through the mud by the internet for being cringey. Here’s a compiled list of some of the best and worst songs to have ever come out of the World Cup.    

Waka Waka

“Waka Waka” is among the best songs ever created for the World Cup. It’s very popular on the internet, with over 3.3 billion views on Youtube. The song was performed by the Colombian singer Shakira, accompanied by South African band Freshlygrond, for 2010 for the World Cup held in South Africa. I personally love this song since it feels like such a classic, and will always bring back memories of me yelling at the TV during soccer games. 

Tokoh Taka 

This is one of the newer songs on this list, performed by popular artists Nicki Minaj, Maluma, and Myriam Fares. “Tokoh Taka” was released shortly before the 2022 FIFA World Cup began in Qatar. In my opinion, this is the worst song ever. It’s so bad that I can’t even make it through the whole thing. Despite Maluma being one of my favorite artists, I can’t stand it. To be frank, I’ve never listened to a song that makes me wanna cry like this. Even worse, the song barely has anything to do with the world cup itself, making it the worst one on this list.

Wavin’ Flag

This was a song also written for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, sung by musical artist K’naan. “Wavin’ Flag” is a great motivational song and every time I listen to it, I get goosebumps. While it may not be the most popular, I feel like it might be one of the best World Cup songs because of its encouraging spirit that energizes any crowd. 

We Are One

This was the official song of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, which interestingly enough, was performed in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Brazil was able to put “We Are One” on the top 20 songs of 2014. I love this song, as I feel it brings everyone together rather than encouraging all the rivalry typically generated by the World Cup. Division among fans at the games understandably stems from national pride, but it was motivating to hear a song written for the event that championed unity.