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Fútbol fans are anxiously waiting to see which two countries will play the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, set for Dec. 18. Meanwhile, music fans are patiently waiting to see which artists will take the stage for the tournament’s closing ceremony.
Both finalists and artists are still up in the air. The match will ultimately come down to whichever two teams move forward, and the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) has yet to announce the lineup for World Cup’s closing ceremony, which will also take place the same day of the last match.
Traditionally, artists who’ve released a song or anthem for that year’s World Cup perform at the closing ceremony. For example, that’s when Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi performed their 2018 official song “Live It Up.” But anything can happen: Shakira performed a special version of “Hips Don’t Lie” at the 2006 World Cup closing ceremony in Germany.
This time around, strong contenders include Ozuna and Gims, who released “Arbho” for the 2022 World Cup official soundtrack. The song earned the Congolese-French rapper his first top 10 Billboard chart hit. Another possibility could be Trinidad Cardona and Rahma Riad, who released a track for the soundtrack. There’s also Paulo Londra, who marked his grand return to music with his new album Back to the Game, and who was spotted in Qatar hanging out with Argentina star Lionel Messi. Maluma and Myriam Fares — who performed at the Fan Festival in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the World Cup — could also return to sing their hit song “Tukoh Taka,” this time with Nicki Minaj in tow.
There are many options and fans won’t know for sure who’s performing until FIFA officially announces the lineup. In the meantime, vote for the artist(s) you’d like to see perform at the World Cup’s closing ceremony below.
We are just days away from finding out who the 2022 World Cup winner will be. By now, soccer aficionados who religiously tune in to watch a match might have come across a few Latin music stars on television or social media — such as Luis Fonsi and Ozuna — where they flaunt their Copa Mundial pride in 15- or 30-second ads.
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With the quarter-finals just around the corner on Friday, Dec. 9, Billboard is celebrating fútbol by compiling some of our favorite 2022 soccer-themed ads.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar’s tournament opener against Ecuador. A total of 32 teams, representing different countries, have participated. Argentina, Croatia, England, France, and the Netherlands have already qualified for the quarter-finals round. In the end, only one team will be crowned the World Cup champion on Dec. 18.
Until then, see which Latin music stars have appeared in their own World Cup spots.
Danna Paola
A month before the World Cup officially began, Coca-Cola and Universal Music Group recruited three of its label artists to give Queen’s 1986 hit “A Kind of Magic” a new twist. Part of its “Believing Is Magic” campaign in Latin America, see the new version by Egyptian rapper Felukah, soulful Saudi Arabian singer-songwriter Tamtam and Mexican pop star Danna Paola above.
Luis Fonsi
Metro by T-Mobile has also hopped on the soccer train with its very own TV spot featuring Puerto Rican pop star Fonsi. Promoting the company’s 5G tablet, Fonsi chants “fiestas olé olé” on the streets as bystanders watch the game on the device.
Ozuna
Ozuna, who also forms part of the official FIFA World Cup soundtrack, teamed up with Coca-Cola Puerto Rico for limited-edition collectible cans, with 14 different designs representing some of the participating countries. In addition, the initiative will promote the development of sports on the island by allocating a donation of $50,000 for the rehabilitation of soccer fields in San Juan.
Prince Royce
Also in the fútbol spirit is Dominican bachata star, who teamed up with Google Pixel for a vibrant ad. In the clip, featuring a cameo by iconic Colombian soccer star Carlos “El Pipe” Valderrama, Royce is watching all things World Cup on the Pixel 7. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what team you’re rooting for, soccer is for all of us,” he posted on his YouTube channel.
Twelve years after its release, Shakira‘s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” has made its debut on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, peaking at No. 46 on the tally dated Dec. 3. On the Billboard Global 200, it debuted at No. 96.
This is no coincidence.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar and, as ever, fútbol fans have pivoted toward songs and anthems that they’ll have on repeat throughout the international soccer event.
The Colombian singer’s trilingual “Waka Waka,” featuring Freshlyground — which served as the official FIFA song in 2010 for the World Cup that took place in South Africa — captured fans globally thanks to its irresistible joyful and upbeat style powered by an Afro-fusion and soca-influenced beat. Plus, the track’s earworm chorus helps too: “Tsamina mina, eh, eh / Waka waka, eh, eh / Tsamina mina zangalewa / This time for Africa.” Back then, it peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart and No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
She performed “Waka Waka” — plus a medley that included “She Wolf” and “Hips Don’t Lie” — during the 2010 World Cup opening ceremony. This year, fans were hoping that, if anything, Shakira would release a song for the World Cup, and even spread rumors online that she was set to perform at the opening ceremony. It was also reported incorrectly by other outlets that she was supposed to perform.
In reality, Shakira was never scheduled to appear at the World Cup, but she didn’t need to perform or even release a new song in order to be part of the festivities. The resurfacing of “Waka Waka” makes her the ultimate queen of World Cup music, as it becomes the only official World Cup song or anthem from previous years to appear on the Billboard global charts.
Shakira’s World Cup debut was in 2006, when she performed “Hips Don’t Lie” during the World Cup’s closing ceremony in Germany. And after South Africa, Shakira returned to the soccer world in 2014 for the World Cup in Brazil, for which she released “La La La,” featuring Carlinhos Brown.
But “Waka Waka” is a song you can’t escape. And it’ll go down in history as one of the most memorable World Cup songs — along with Ricky Martin‘s 1998 “Cup of Life.” We can all probably agree with the YouTube user who commented on the “La La La” video: “If Shakira could make all the World Cup songs, the world would be a better place.”
What is a jock jam?
Well, in the ’90s it was whatever ESPN defined it as for the purposes of their series of Jock Jams compilations: Most often, hip-hop-flavored dance-pop bangers which implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) promoted physical movement of any and all kinds. But defined more broadly for our purposes at Billboard, a Jock Jam is a song that has come to define the in-game experience at a pro sports arena: Any song that, after years of stadium (over-)usage, is as familiar to sports fans’ ears as sneaker squeaks, referee whistles and Zamboni organ groans. It’s a canon that spans rock, hip-hop, dance and country, and still includes pop songs old and new.
To celebrate this canon, Billboard presents our list of the 100 greatest jock jams of all time. We tried to stay away from jams that only really made sense for one sport (like John Fogerty’s “Centerfield”) or one city (like Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”), in favor of the classics that could work in the most games in the most places. These are the songs that helped define sports culture in this country for decades, which may have fallen in and out of favor with music supervisors as hip songs of the moment, but which will forever produce a Pavlovian response of sports-readiness. It’s a Hall of Fame in which AC/DC are The Beatles, 2 Unlimited are Michael Jackson, and The Baha Men… well, they’re still The Baha Men, but forever bronzed at their 2000 peak.
Now, a bunch of us here at Billboard are sports junkies, but we didn’t trust our own experiences and recollections in this matter to be anywhere near complete. So to help flesh out our Top 100 and determine the absolute cream of the bumper-music crop, we consulted the experts: Stadium entertainment officials, DJs, and general music men and women of the MLB, NHL, NFL and especially the NBA worlds. They were kind enough to give us their picks for the stadium-anthem GOATs, and explanations for their selections are interspersed throughout our list.
And now, let’s sound the horn and get our countdown underway. Y’all ready for this?
Following Argentina’s nail-biting 2-0 win over Mexico during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Saturday (Nov. 26), social media was flooded with clips of the team singing triumphantly in the locker room. The song is “Muchachos, Ahora Nos Volvimos a Ilusionar” (which translates loosely to “Boys, We Have Our Hopes Up Again”) by La Mosca, the Argentine nine-piece band that plays a blend of ska, rock and pop, laced with tango pathos.
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“Muchachos” has been on global fans’ radar ever since striker Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the best soccer player in the world, claimed during an interview with an Argentine channel earlier this year that it was his favorite soccer song amongst dozens — and actually sang a bit live. On Saturday, after Argentina averted disqualification from the World Cup with its two goals, one scored by Messi himself, the song was again on the spotlight, and very appropriately so. After all, it mentions Messi in the opening line: “I was born in Argentina, land of Diego and Lionel, of the kids from the Falkland Islands, whom I’ll never forget.”
But it didn’t use to. Originally titled “Muchachos, Esta Noche Me Emborracho” (“Boys, Tonight I’ll Get Drunk”), it was a heartbreak song written in 2003 by La Mosca lead singer Guillermo Novellis and Sergio Cairat. In July 2021, fan Fernando Romero wrote new lyrics celebrating Argentina’s road to the final of Latin American soccer tournament Copa América. A chance encounter with a camera crew outside the final in Brazil made the song with new lyrics go viral, and caught the attention of Messi and his teammates.
It also caught the attention of Novellis and La Mosca, who recorded and released the new version (where Romero gets credit) just two weeks prior to the kickoff of the World Cup. Billboard caught up with Novellis, who, like Messi, is celebrating his high hopes.
Billboard: “Muchachos” is a rather melancholy song. Are you surprised it’s become a soccer anthem?
Guillermo Novellis: It’s a song that has a lot of tango in its lyrics and melody. But like all La Mosca songs, it’s put in a rhythmic, danceable context. Some five, six years ago, a local team Racing Club adapted the lyrics, and then, other clubs did too. But this version started with Copa América, and the new lyrics are really good. They have to do with our frustrations, our success, our hopes, the Falklands, finals lost and finals won. And of course, the hope of being champions again. Maybe that’s why it resonated so much with fans and players.
You released this new version the week prior to the World Cup. When did you decide to re-record the song?
If was something that our manager Santiago Ruiz pushed. We recorded it, and then a couple of weeks before the World Cup, they interviewed Messi and asked him what his favorite song was. He said “Muchachos” and actually sang it. I mean, it’s like arriving in Rome and being introduced to the Pope.
Do you personally know Messi?
Yes. We’ve seen him several times and even played for his birthday party when he turned 20. We’ve crossed paths several times. I can’t say we’re friends, but we’ll likely be from this moment on.
Just last week, Argentina lost against Saudi Arabia. Had you lost on Saturday, you would have been out of the World Cup. How worried were you?
We were all thinking about that match. But things have a way of shaking out. The World Cup is very short, and I want to win every game. You can only lose one match. And Argentina lost it at the very beginning. Argentina was coming from a great run, winning every single match they played, and maybe that bucket of cold water got our pride up again. There’s always a silver lining. Soccer is a marvelous sport and it doesn’t respond to statistics, like tennis or American football. With the band, we have a little mantra: We wish each other a Merry Christmas, because if it’s merry, it means everything fell in place.
Do you think Argentine fans are different from other fans?
I really do. We see it not only in soccer but also in music. The Argentine fan isn’t happy just being a spectator; he wants a starring role, from the stands, from the audience. And that’s great. As far as soccer goes, every single person in Argentina has played soccer at some point in their lives.
You’re in the middle of a tour. Will you also perform in Qatar this year?
That all depends on whether or not we have a Merry Christmas!
Watch the new version of “Muchachos” below.
On Saturday (Nov. 26), Mexico and Argentina will meet up for a highly anticipated game between two 2022 World Cup favorites.
It’s the second game for both teams — part of Group C along with Poland and Saudi Arabia — who each played their first match on Tuesday (Nov. 22). The Argentina team led by fútbol icon Lionel Messi was expected to win against Saudi Arabia, but was humbled after losing 2-1. Argentina will be looking to rebound from their stunning loss.
Meanwhile, La Selección Mexicana was able to walk away with a scoreless draw thanks to their goalie, Guillermo Ochoa, who delivered a heroic save on Robert Lewandowski’s penalty kick. With a missed opportunity to gain any points in their group where, like in all other groups, only two teams advance to the next round, Mexico is looking for a win or tie against Argentina.
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With all that being said, is anyone in the mood to stream some Argentina and Mexico anthems ahead of the big day? There’s nothing like music to bring us together regardless of which team you’re rooting for. The obvious ones that come to mind for Argentina are Diego Torres‘ hopeful and uplifting “Color Esperanza” and Trueno and Nathy Peluso‘s “Argentina.” For Mexico: Vicente Fernández‘s “El Rey” or the mariachi anthem “Cielito Lindo” — the latter is traditionally sung by zealous Mexican fans during matches.
Below, we’ve put together the ultimate 16-song playlist to stream ahead of the Mexico vs. Argentina game. Enjoy, and may the best team win.
BTS‘ Jungkook dropped the video for his solo track “Dreamers” on Tuesday (Nov. 22), a kind of travelogue in which the singer explores Qatar, the site of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The dreamy song that is part of the official soundtrack of the global football classic that kicked off this week in the tiny Middle Eastern country features Jungkook singing alongside Qatari artist Fahad Al-Kubaisi.
The clip opens with a stunned-looking Jungkook wandering through a brightly lit corridor before emerging into a space filled with pulsing lasers as dancers in a market join him on a stroll through the city. Meanwhile, Al-Kubaisi sings his bits from the deck of a huge schooner as Jungkook croons from atop a skyscraper amid images of children watching digital whales break free from the bonds of the ocean and soar above skyscrapers.
The visual ends with Junkook singing the song’s hopeful refrain, “Look who we are, we are the dreamers/ We make it happen, cuz we believe it,” surrounded by dancers holding up flags from around the world. Jungkook premiered the song at the opening ceremonies for the quadrennial international tournament over the weekend.
The solo BTS star is one of the few pop artists who’ve participated in the events surrounding this year’s World Cup, which has come under scrutiny for the process of awarding the bid to the tiny religiously conservative Gulf skeikdom, where homosexuality is a crime and where officials banned a rainbow flag armband meant as a show of solidarity and diversity. Qatar has also come under scrutiny for the thousands of deaths among the migrant workers who helped build the stadiums where the games are being held, with reports that the laborers were paid unfair wages and housed in substandard, broiling conditions in the nation where temperatures can rise above 120 degrees in the summer.
“Dreamers” is Jungkook’s second solo song this year amid BTS’ ongoing hiatus, following on the heels of his “Left and Right” collaboration with Charlie Puth.
Watch the “Dreamers” video here.
The FIFA Men’s World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, kicked off Nov. 20 with the Ecuador vs. Qatar (host country) match. As has been tradition for many years now, a select number of songs soundtrack the global soccer event, in which 32 teams — representing different countries — participate and, in the end, one is crowned the World Cup champion.
Songs such as Ricky Martin‘s “Cup of Life,” the official song of the 1998 event held in France, and Shakira‘s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” for the 2010 World Cup in Africa have become anthems for soccer fans, and given the event’s popularity, they’ve also had a presence on the Billboard charts. “Waka Waka” peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated July 3, 2010, while Martin’s euphoric “Cup of Life” peaked at No. 45 on the Hot 100 in 1998.
So far, a number of songs tied to this year’s World Cup have been released, with a few being part of the official FIFA soundtrack and others that aren’t but are still worthy of a mention.
In April, FIFA released the first single, titled “Hayya Hayya (Better Together),” from the official soundtrack. The uplifting track, featuring Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha, fuses R&B and reggae influences. Four months later, the football federation released the second song from the soundtrack titled “Arhbo,” with Latin star Ozuna and French Congolese rapper Gims. “Arhbo” is a local slang word for “welcome” in Qatar and comes from the Arabic word “Marhaba.” For the first time, the tournament’s soundtrack will feature a multi-song collection, with international artists “showcasing diverse musical genres that span the world, setting the tone for a truly global celebration,” according to FIFA.
Below, find an updating list of the 2022 World Cup-themed songs that have been released.
In honor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off Nov. 20, Billboard has reached out to Latin artists who are big fútbol fans to ask what the sport means to them. For our third installment, we spoke to Argentine rapper LIT Killah, who is ready to support La Selección Argentina during the tournament. Below, read LIT’s “What Fútbol Means to Me,” as told to Billboard.
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My connection to soccer traces back to when I was very little because my father was a fanatic about the sport and my brother was part of a soccer club. I never really caught on to it at such a young age but just being in my hood and seeing my friends play, by default I spent my entire childhood until my early teen years playing soccer.
When Argentina plays, we get together with friends and watch the game with no exceptions. I always like to watch the matches of the national team and support Argentina in any sport. Tomorrow, for example, my country plays at 7 a.m., and Emilia, Duki, FMK, and Rusher are coming to my house to watch the game. It’s great because it’s a time to share with friends. I feel that soccer transmits that.
Soccer for the Argentine means a lot. It is the strongest passion that 90% of Argentines have. In fact, there are foreigners who come to a game in Argentina and can’t believe it. The heart that people put into it, the fact that the state of humor depends on football. If the game is lost, we go out to break things, we cry, and we are sad all week. The Argentine is very passionate.
The country is already happy about winning the 2021 Copa America, but I think that if Argentina wins the 2022 World Cup it would be the icing on the cake. There is a lot of expectation and enthusiasm due to the fact that it’s Lionel Messi’s last World Cup. With that pressure and that desire of the people to see him win a World Cup, I think we would have the country happy for the rest of our lives.
