The 48-team tournament, the biggest World Cup yet, will kick off next week, with games being played in June and July across Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.
The World Cup 2026 intro theme and its accompanying visuals has also arrived — another tournament earworm that will sound off across televisions all over the world.
The World Cup intro theme in its many iterations has become a source of nostalgic obsession for football fans across the years, and this one will likely be no different.
What is the World Cup 2026’s intro theme and video?
The World Cup 2026 will kick off with its opening fixture on June 11, Mexico vs South Africa, and viewers will be treated to the first broadcast of the tournament’s intro theme and video.
The theme was released three years ago, while the accompanying visuals were uploaded to YouTube within the last few months.
The intro theme for the World Cup 2026 is akin to a 2020s Coldplay instrumental, filled with sweeping crescendos, glittering instruments and drum fills.
While its rhythm, in parts, maintains the Latin sound that perforated the iconic World Cup 2010’s many musical accompaniments, this latest theme engages in frequent genre switching.
Its tempo changes to half-time speed in the track’s latter half, with a clear Hip Hop influence present in its production.
The mix of genres makes sense in the context of the tournament’s locations, with Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar putting on half-time shows at the previous two Superbowls.
The accompanying visuals are animated, using a 360° ‘Tiny Planet’ effect that was, coincidentally, popularised by Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 music video for ‘Humble’.
The animation traces across various locations as the globe spins, depicting football fans in and outside of North American stadiums.
The visuals conclude with a real-life montage of past World Cup victories, with the trophy being lifted by Argentina, France and Brazil.
The video, as always, culminates in a vocal swell-drum hit combination, as the FIFA World Cup 2026 logo is revealed.
