List of England national football team songs
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This is a list of songs released with the approval of the Football Association to coincide with the England national football team's participation in the finals of the FIFA World Cup and/or the UEFA European Championship with the exception of the tournaments (3 World Cups and 5 Euro Cups) they failed to qualify. (1964, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1984, 1994 and 2008)
The tradition of World Cup and Euro Cup songs began in 1970.[1] Some of the later official songs were eclipsed by unofficial songs released around the same time since 1998;[2] at least 15 World Cup-themed singles were released for the 2002 finals,[1] and 30 for 2006.[3]
The FA announced in January 2010 there would be no official England song for the 2010 World Cup like there was no official England song for Euro 1968, Euro 1980, Euro 1992 or Euro 2000.[2] Likewise, no official song was commissioned for Euro 2016, the 2018 tournament,[4] the 2022 tournament, or even Euro 2024. The 2026 tournament will be exactly 20 years since the England national football team last had an official World Cup anthem.
| Tournament | Year | Song | Chart | Writers | Performers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | 1970 | "Back Home" | 1 | Bill Martin, Phil Coulter | England squad | [5] While not an official song for the England team until becoming a number 1 hit, "World Cup Willie" by Lonnie Donegan was the official song for the 1966 World Cup, and can be seen as the birth of the link between football and pop music in the UK. |
| Euro | 1980 | Not applicable | ||||
| World Cup | 1982 | "This Time (We’ll Get It Right)" | 2[6] | Chris Norman, Pete Spencer | England squad | [5] Norman & Spencer, of Smokie, had written "Head Over Heels in Love" for Kevin Keegan in 1979. |
| World Cup | 1986 | "We've Got the Whole World at Our Feet" | 66[1] | Tony Hiller, Stan James, Bobby James[7] | England squad | To the tune of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands";[1] modified from Nottingham Forest's anthem for the 1980 European Cup Final. The same team co-wrote Scotland's World Cup song, "Big trip to Mexico".[7] The official anthem for England at that time charted outside the top 40. |
| Euro | 1988 | "All The Way" | 64[8] | Stock, Aitken and Waterman | England squad | Released as an official football team song for England before finishing bottom of the Group stage table. Also the first and only official song by the England team within the Euro Cup. The official anthem for England at that time charted outside the top 40 like the previous one did in the 1986 World Cup. |
| World Cup | 1990 | "World in Motion" | 1 | New Order[2] and Keith Allen[5] | Englandneworder (England squad and New Order) | Featuring a solo rap performed by England winger John Barnes.[5] Also samples the conclusive commentary quote from the 1966 FIFA World Cup "They Think It's all Over, It is now". |
| Euro | 1992 | Not applicable | ||||
| Euro | 1996 | "Three Lions" | 1 | Ian Broudie, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner | The Lightning Seeds/Baddiel & Skinner | [5] Re-released for the 1998 World Cup when it topped the No. 1 spot again. "We're In This Together" by Simply Red was the official song alongside "Three Lions" and opening ceremony song of the tournament, which England hosted.[9] |
| World Cup | 1998 | "(How Does it Feel to Be) on Top of the World?" | 9[1] | Ian McCulloch[2] | England United (Echo and the Bunnymen, Space, Spice Girls, Simon Fowler) | Overshadowed by the unofficial anthems "Three Lions '98" at #1 and "Vindaloo" at #2.[10] |
| Euro | 2000 | Not applicable | ||||
| World Cup | 2002 | "We're On The Ball" | 3 | Ant & Dec, Harold Spiro | Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly | Whether the song was official or not it also didn't have any other unofficial song overshadowing during that year Ant & Dec's song for the England team reached #3 in the UK singles chart. |
| Euro | 2004 | "All Together Now 2004" | 5 | Peter Hooton, Steve Grimes | The Farm featuring the SFX Boys' Choir, Liverpool[8] | Originally released during World Cup 1990, the Euro 2004 version was edited by DJ Spoony.[8] The anthem originally released alongside "World in Motion" therefore in the 2004 tournament made it the first England team song to reach #5 in the UK singles chart which is outside the top 3. |
| World Cup | 2006 | "World at Your Feet" | 3 | Embrace | Embrace's official song for England reached #3 in the UK singles chart makes it the second England team song to become a No. 3 hit. The first to have done so was in 2002.[2] | |
| World Cup | 2010 | "Shout (Shout for England song)" | 1 | Roland Orzabal et al. | Dizzee Rascal (ft. James Corden) | Not an official song alongside "Three Lions 2010", though permission was given for the England football team's logo, and footage of England matches and players was used in the video. Royalties of the single went to Great Ormond Street Hospital. The unofficial anthem was also a No. 1 hit in the charts making it the first time an unofficial England Football team song went to #1 since "Three Lions '98" did so in the 1998 World Cup tournament. |
| Euro | 2012 | "Sing 4 England" | DNC | Paul Baker, B. Routledge | Chris 'Kammy' Kamara (ft. Joe Public Utd) | A charity single not commissioned by the FA but subsequently endorsed by it. The anthem didn't even enter the charts either.[11] |
| World Cup | 2014 | "Sport Relief's Greatest Day" | 7 | Take That | Gary Barlow, Eliza Doolittle, Katy B and Spice Girls Melanie C and Emma Bunton with former footballers such as Gary Lineker, Michael Owen, Peter Shilton, Glenn Hoddle and Sir Geoff Hurst | A re-recorded version of the Take That song featuring vocals from Barlow and other pop singers. It was announced as the official song for the England football team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with the video being presented on YouTube, but it was never released as a single.[12][13] Following his death shortly before the tournament, Rik Mayall's England song Noble England reached #7 in the UK charts. |
| Euro | 2016 | Not applicable | ||||
| World Cup | 2018 | |||||
| Euro | 2020 | "Olé (We Are England '21)" | 51 | Krept & Konan feat. S1lva, M1llionz & Morrisson | Released during the tournament, on 26 June 2021. Whether the song was official or not the tournament was entirely postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
| World Cup | 2022 | "Three Lions 2022 (It's Coming Home For Christmas)" | 47 | Ian Broudie, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner | The Lightning Seeds/Baddiel & Skinner | The Christmas version of an England National Football Team song that isn't actually official but reminiscing on how the Women's Football Team hosted and won the 2022 Women's Euro Cup. |
| Euro | 2024 | Not applicable | ||||
| World Cup | 2026 | Not applicable | ||||
See also
- England national football team discography
- Jerusalem – unofficial national anthem of England
- God Save the King – national anthem of the United Kingdom