With the World Cup taking place just once every four years, fans have built traditions around the tournament that help to make the occasion feel that extra bit special.
In 2026, those football traditions are slowly fading away, but (for better or worse) one has endured – the England World Cup song. It remains to be seen what might be in store this time around, but Thomas Tuchel's side are sure to be waved off to North America with the tunes of yesteryear blasting from the speakers.
Supporters of a certain vintage might remember the days in the '80s when England's national team stars were fumbling their way through songs, while those of a younger generation were privileged enough to see well-known musicians help celebrities do the same.
However, we are not against fun here at Football Ground Guide, and some of the tracks were not half bad. So, read on as we run down the top five best England World Cup songs with a little over two months to go until the 2026 tournament.
5. Ant and Dec – We're On the Ball (2002)
Headed up by dynamic duo Ant and Dec, ‘We're on the Ball' managed to reach number three on UK singles chart back in 2002.
The song is accompanied by an endearingly cheesy video that features the pair infiltrating the England camp in order to go to the World Cup, which would otherwise have been too expensive for them to afford to see in person.
Musically, the track is best remembered for the player-by-player run down referencing the Three Lions' 5-1 win qualifying win against Germany.
“It's Neville to Campbell, Campbell to Rio
Rio to Scholesy, Scholesy Gerrard
Gerrard to Beckham, Beckham to Heskey
Heskey to Owen, to Nodd, 5-1″
4. England World Cup Squad – Back Home (1970)
The oldest song on this list – and the only one performed entirely by the team themselves – 1970's ‘Back Home' kicked off the tradition of England World Cup songs, and reached number one on the UK charts in the process.
‘Back Home' may be a little outdated, but there is a certain charm to its simplistic nature and big brass instrumentation, not to mention the fashion on display in the video that includes the squad in tuxedos.
Having won the 1966 edition, the nation was excited to head into the World Cup as defending champions, though they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage by West Germany, and failed to qualify for the following two tournaments.
“Back home they'll be thinking about us
When we are far away
Back home they'll be really behind us
In every game we play
They'll share every goal we are scoring
Out there we will still hear them roaring
And we'll give all we've got to give
For the folks back home”
3. Dizzee Rascal & James Corden – Shout (Shout for England) (2010)
James Corden might be a polarising figure, and ‘Shout' by Tears for Fears might be a questionable choice of song to cover, but Dizzee Rascal – one of the best English rappers of all time – puts in the type of performance that England lacked at the 2010 World Cup.
Coming off the back of his double platinum album Tongue n' Cheek (2009), Dizzee was able to hit number one on the UK singles chart with ‘Shout (Shout for England)', which sold over 100,000 copies in its first week despite only being eligible for four days.
The rapper's lyrics express a desire to move on from the past, calling for the nation's stars to give fans something new to celebrate by finally lifting the World Cup after a 44-year wait.
“Come on England, we need to sort it out
Put the champs down
Pull your finger out
Leave the WAGs alone
Set aside your ego
We're tired of bragging about 40 odd years ago”
Unfortunately, supporters of the Three Lions are now in their 60th year of waiting, though at least they got one of the best England World Cup songs as consolation (even if it was not officially commissioned by the FA).
2. Fat Les – Vindaloo
Initially created as a parody of football chants, Vindaloo became the unofficial anthem of England's 1998 World Cup campaign, and has since grown into one of the most popular football chants around.
The lyrics were penned by comedian Keith Allen, who is also known for his work on ‘World in Motion', while the instrumentation was co-written by bassists Guy Pratt and Alex James, the latter being famous as part of the band Blur.
The chorus below has become a common chant at England games, and North America is sure to know all the lyrics by the time this summer is over.
“Vindaloo, vindaloo
Vindaloo, vindaloo, nah nah
Vindaloo, vindaloo
Vindaloo, vindaloo, nah nah
Vindaloo, vindaloo
And we all like vindaloo
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
England!”
As a bonus, the video itself is also a parody of The Verve's ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony', and includes cameos from the likes of Damien Hirst, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, as well as Keith Allen's children, Alfie and Lily Allen.
1. New Order – World in Motion (1990)
For a brief moment every four years, New Order are thrust into the consciousness of England fans the world over. Undoubtedly a classic, ‘World in Motion' is a synth-pop dance track with a footballing flavour that hit number one on the UK singles chart back in 1990.
Three of the four members of New Order were formerly of Joy Division, something that caught the attention of the FA's Press Officer at the time, David Bloomfield.
Bloomfield thought the England World Cup songs of the past were mostly lacklustre, and when he saw that football talk show Best and Marsh had a New Order track of the same name associated, he reached out to the band about recording a song for Italia 90.
Bloomfield placed no restrictions on the song other than that it must not have anything to do with hooliganism, though his efforts to get the England squad on board were initially met by resistance as players did not want to be involved with what they assumed would be a low-quality, mockable effort.
However, ‘World in Motion' features Keith Allen and re-recorded commentary from Kenneth Wolstenholme, as well as backing vocals from England stars Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne, Steve McMahon, Chris Waddle and Des Walker.
The tune also offers up an iconic rap verse from former Liverpool winger John Barnes that is bound to be a favourite at karaoke nights this summer (and every World Cup summer in perpetuity).
“Catch me if you can, cause I'm the England man
And what you're looking at is the master plan
We ain't no hooligans, this ain't a football song
Three lions on my chest, I know we can't go wrong”
It is safe to say that New Order played their part ahead of the 1990 World Cup, but England would go on to be knocked out on penalties by West Germany, before losing the third-place playoff 2-1 against hosts Italy. The pain is still remembered by supporters, but at least the tournament sparked this hit record.
Honourable mentions:
Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds – Three Lions '98 (1998)
With the chorus and refrain having been revived in the 2020s thanks to a new era of close calls for England in international tournaments, ‘Three Lions '98' would have made this list but for the technicality of it being a re-recording of the track from Euro '96.
Regardless, the tune remains a classic and one of the most popular England World Cup songs of all time, reaching number one on the charts.
“Three lions on a shirt
Jules Rimet still gleaming
No more years of hurt
No more need for dreaming
We can dance Nobby's dance
We could dance it in France
It's coming home, it's coming home
It's coming, football's coming home
It's coming home, it's coming home
It's coming, football's coming home
It's coming home, it's coming home
It's coming, football's coming home”
Embrace – World at Your Feet (2006)
The official England World Cup song for 2006 reached number three on the UK singles chart as well as topping the UK Indie chart, and though it might not be one of the most famous, it is one of the strongest tunes made for the tournament in its own right.
Created by English rock band Embrace, ‘World at Your Feet' features lyrics that can be read as either a conversation with a romantic partner or as a message to the English national team:
“You're the first in my life, to make me think
That we might just go all the way
And I want you to know we're all hanging on”
However, while this ambiguity makes for interesting commentary, the lack of obvious and overt links to the World Cup have meant that the track has not been associated with football as often as its official song status might suggest.
“With the world at your feet, there's no one you can't beat
Yes it can be done
With the world at your feet, there's no height you can't reach
This could be the one
It's calling, it's calling you now
You know it's gonna be your time
Cause the world is at your feet
Yeah, the world is at your feet”