World Cup 2026: Why England fans sing 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Wonderwall' at games

England fans have regularly belted out Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" at major tournaments in recent years. The association with this song began during the 2020 European Championships, which were postponed to 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. The popular anthem was played before a game at Wembley Stadium at the start of the tournament, with supporters uniting for a powerful performance of the song. Since then it has become a regular part of England fans' repertoire at games.

Originally released in 1969, Diamond's song was re-released in 2021 following England's successful route to the final at Wembley, which they lost to Italy on penalties. At the time of its re-release it reached number 20 in the UK charts and number three in the UK download charts. A year later, he also became very popular with the players and fans of the England women's team during their route to victory in the European Championship. Upon learning of the song's popularity, Diamond expressed that he was "thrilled."



The popularity of "Sweet Caroline" has also led to it being sung by fans of other sports such as boxing, cricket and rugby. More recently, Oasis' hit "Wonderwall" has also become part of England's catalog of popular anthems. England players joined their fans in singing the song, released in 1995, in Dallas after their 4-2 group stage win over Croatia, which was captured in a clip that has since gone viral.

Considered one of the country's best-known pop songs, "Wonderwall" saw a further surge in popularity following Oasis' reunion last year, which resulted in one of the most successful tours in British music history. After the win against Croatia, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher reacted to the video of players and fans singing together. After it was revealed that the song's streams had increased by more than 50%, Liam wrote on X: "And rightly so, it's a classic and I sound BIBLICAL on it." His brother and Oasis bandmate Noel Gallagher also backed calls for "Wonderwall" to be made England's World Cup anthem. "'Wonderwall' belongs to the people and it was a magical moment between the people and the players," Noel told The Sun. “Good luck to everyone who makes the journey there.”

Speaking to the Lions' Den podcast after the win over Croatia, captain Harry Kane said: "That was one of my favorite moments in an England shirt, especially in a major tournament." England's official goal song at the World Cup, played every time they score, is "Chase the Sun" by Planet Funk.