As the tournament comes to an end, this month’s Sounds Like turns to the World Cup – not just the official anthems, but the odd, obsessive corners of football culture that music keeps finding its way into. From a Manchester indie classic to post-punk, these are the songs that prove football has always been about more than what happens on the pitch.

Ricky Martin – La Copa de la Vida

The official anthem for France ’98, and still the gold standard for World Cup pop: brass-heavy, relentlessly upbeat and built for a stadium singalong.

 

The Fall – Theme From Sparta F.C.

Written by Mark E. Smith from the perspective of a Greek football fan, this became the theme music for the BBC’s Final Score between 2005 and 2009. 

Shakira – Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

The anthem for South Africa 2010, built around a Cameroonian soukous riff, turning the tournament’s first African hosting into a genuine global celebration.

New Order – World in Motion

Manchester’s finest lending their sound to the England ‘90 squad shouldn’t have worked, but it did: a genuine football classic, with a fantastic rap from John Barnes.  

K’naan – Wavin’ Flag (original)

The World Cup version everyone knows is a rewrite. Coca-Cola cut the references to war and struggle to make it stadium-ready. This is the original: K’naan writing about growing up in Somalia, with the hope in the chorus genuinely earned.

Mogwai – Half Time

From the score to Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, the 2006 film following Zinedine Zidane through a single match in real time. No crowd noise, no commentary – just slow-building post-rock carrying all the tension.

The Farm – All Together Now

Peter Hooton wrote it after reading about the First World War Christmas Truce, when soldiers laid down their arms to play football in no man’s land. Terrace anthem and history lesson in one – a fitting note to end on.