England’s World Cup Anthem: How Wonderwall United Fans and Players
Oasis’s 1995 hit Wonderwall has become England’s unofficial World Cup anthem, more than three decades after its release. The song has been belted out by fans from Texas to Massachusetts, and will soon echo in Mexico City when the Three Lions face tournament co-hosts Mexico on Sunday evening (or 1am Monday for fans back home).
The emotional connection between the travelling English support, the players, and the three-decade-old track began with a DJ in Texas and a crucial win over Croatia. England captain Harry Kane described the moment fans started singing as one of his favourites in an England shirt. “Emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them,” Kane told the Lions’ Den podcast. Since that moment after England’s opening game, Wonderwall has been adopted as their unofficial anthem.
How the Anthem Came to Be
Russell Osborne, host of the Three Lions podcast, noted the reciprocal nature of the song. “It’s almost a time-and-place moment for those guys out in the States following the team. And the team are singing it back to them – it’s a reciprocal thing. They’re all enjoying it and loving it, coming together with that one song.” The song’s rise echoes the use of Robbie Williams’ Angels during the Euro 2024 final in Berlin, where England lost to Spain.
Why Wonderwall Works as a Terrace Anthem
Author and broadcaster PJ Harrison, who wrote the biography Gallagher: The Fall and Rise of Oasis, attributed the song’s terrace appeal to its ambiguous lyrics and simple, familiar melody. “What is a Wonderwall? I’m not really sure what it is but I can sing about it and it can be whatever I think it is,” he told BBC News. “If I think it’s Jude Bellingham or if I think it’s England winning, it can be that, or it could be my girlfriend or whatever.”
Osborne also credits nostalgia, with many England fans recalling the mid-90s as a time of youth and optimism. The connection between fans and players could be a differentiator in the tournament. “When they see the players are standing there in a line listening and … singing it back to the fans – perhaps that is just going to give them just that little bit of extra sparkle, just to carry on throughout the tournament, to carry them through the next game.”
From Sweet Caroline to Wonderwall
England fans previously adopted Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline as their unofficial song during Euro 2020, later embraced by the women’s team during their Euro 2022 and 2025 victories. But Osborne believes that song has run its course, and Wonderwall should also be retired after the tournament, win or lose. “Looking into the future, I can almost see England play on a wet Thursday night in March in a friendly, and drawing 0-0, and half the crowd have gone home early, and the DJ at the end of the game thinks ‘Right, I’m going to stick Wonderwall on and we’re going to try and get the same reaction.’” But, he added, to really get it, you probably had to be there.
