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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
John Jones

Welsh song Yma O Hyd lyrics, meaning and how it became a Wales football anthem

It has been a familiar anthem to Welsh speakers for some time, but Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd has been given a whole new lease of life in the build-up to the 2022 World Cup, with fans up and down the country belting it out at every opportunity nearly 40 years after it was written.

The legendary singer has cemented his iconic status during a whirlwind few months, which saw him sing the song on the pitch at Cardiff City Stadium before Wales’ crucial World Cup play-off games against Austria and Ukraine, before it soared to number one in the iTunes chart following Rob Page's side historic World Cup qualification.

Since then, it has grown in popularity, with male voice choirs giving stunning renditions of the spine-tingling tune and the man himself stunning fans in Doha by turning up to a hotel and leading a sing-along with supporters who made the long journey to Qatar. You can watch that amazing moment here.

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