Music and football at the 2026 World Cup

From sound to image

In recent days, the melody of the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" - John Denver released in 1971, has become a craze, a trend. It originated from the moment when about 67,000 spectators at Seattle stadium sang together when the melody played after the US team's 2-0 victory over Australia at the 2026 World Cup. Similarly, in Los Angeles - where the US team won their first victory at the 2026 World Cup with a score of 4-1 against Paraguay. Of course, the 2026 World Cup is not just the playground of Take Me Home, Country Roads.

Music becomes an important part of the 2026 World Cup. In addition to the official songs of the tournament, fans can also sing along to Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen), Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond), Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys), Wonderwall (Oasis), Livin' on a Prayer (Bon Jovi)…

SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles) regularly turns on classic West Coast raps by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg or Tupac Shakur (like "California Love") during breaks to evoke the typical street culture of the West Coast. Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), which is known as the capital of modern Trap/Hip-hop music, the Organizing Committee chooses OutKast or Future music to create a youthful, American-style entertainment atmosphere. Lumen Field Stadium (Seattle) chooses the strong Grunge Rock style of Nirvana or Pearl Jam to welcome European teams to compete...

Similarly, in locations in Mexico and Canada, folk songs are used to introduce and spread local culture, along with familiar melodies for national teams to welcome them. Loud music, concerts and dances of tens of thousands of fans create a strong wave of emotions.

Music at the 2026 World Cup is not a random factor, but is professionally prepared. FIFA requires teams to send potential music lists for warm-up, scoring moments and victories. These songs contribute to creating a unique mark for the match day experience, from German pop, Brazilian samba to Dutch football tradition.

The match days at the World Cup are built around a tightly managed stadium music system, with playlists to liven up the atmosphere before and during the match. Therefore, the music choice of each team is even more noteworthy, contributing to expressing the unique identity of each country in the sound of the match day.

The emotional resonance at the 2026 World Cup is also pushed to a higher level thanks to the support of the giant LED screen system at the stadium. Not only focusing on the developments on the field, the camera does not waste any second when continuously hunting for interesting moments of the audience. When those images are suddenly magnified onto the large screen, the whole stadium bursts into excitement or becomes silent because of emotion. Not letting the audience become outsiders increases excitement and interaction.

What lessons for Vietnamese football?

From the way football is turned into an "entertainment event", the question is, does Vietnamese football have any good lessons for itself? The stands at the stadiums in the V.League already have too many empty seats, the experience for fans does not create excitement and excitement, the large screens are almost only for recording match information, scores, music - if any, it is almost just a habit of the person in charge, completely lacking surveys about tastes or the team's story. These things unintentionally turn the audience's time to the stadium into a broken experience, lacking direct interaction.

Modern football requires a multi-industry management mindset. Organizing a match is not simply about pitch or security, but about establishing a complete journey of experience for fans from sound to visual images.