What is the official song for the Qatar 2022 World Cup and who sings it?
Instead of just one official anthem, the 2022 World Cup will have a multi-song soundtrack involving a number of artists from around the globe.
If the official song is your favourite thing about the World Cup, then you’re probably not a big fan of football or, let’s face it, music.
Be that as it may, lovers of the official song really are in luck this year. Not content with releasing just the one anthem, FIFA and the Qatari World Cup organisers have decided to inflict a multi-song soundtrack upon us.
“Qatar 2022 is all about bringing the world together in harmony,” the tournament’s organising committee says, conveniently neglecting to mention that there’s no place in this harmonious world for homosexuals.
“A multi-song collection, featuring international artists across a variety of musical genres delivering smash hits, sets the tone for a truly global celebration”.
What are the official World Cup songs?
More may well be on the way, but as things stand, FIFA lists five official songs:
Hayya Hayya (Better Together) - Cardona, Davido and Aisha
Released in April, “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” is a song that “draws on R&B and reggae influences”, FIFA says. It features three singers: the American Trinidad Cardona, who wrote the lyrics; Nigeria’s Davido; and Qatar’s Aisha.
Arhbo - Ozuna featuring Gims
Sung in Spanish and French, respectively, by Puerto Rican artist Ozuna and French-Congolese rapper Gims, “Ahrbo” was released in August.
According to FIFA, “arhbo” is a Qatari slang term meaning “welcome”, and derives from the Arabic word “marhaba”.
There’s also an Arabic version of the song, performed by Hasser Al Kubaisi, Ayed and Haneen Hussein.
Light the Sky - Rahma, Balqees, Nora and Manal
Brought out in October, “Light the Sky” features a quartet of female singers: the Emirati Balqees, the Moroccan-Canadian Nora Fatehi, Rahma Riad from Iraq, and Morocco’s Manal.
“The single’s music video celebrates female referees officiating at a FIFA World Cup for the first time ever,” FIFA says.
Three women - France’s Stéphanie Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita - will be match referees at Qatar 2022. In addition, Brazil’s Neuza Back, Mexico’s Karen Díaz Medina and the United States’ Kathryn Nesbitt will serve as assistant referees.
See also:
The World Is Yours to Take - Lil Baby x Tears for Fears
In a song that samples the 1980s Tears for Fears hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, US rapper Lil Baby performs “The World is Yours to Take”, which was released in September.
“It’s about the journey we’ve all been on over the last few years and celebrating what’s next,” Lil Baby says. “When I started in music in 2017, I went all in on a dream that brought me to where I am now, and that’s what I want fans to feel when they hear the song. I hope it makes you feel like you’re walking out onto the pitch at the World Cup, making moves toward your own dreams, whatever that means to you.”
Tukoh Taka - Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares
Launched in the days before the World Cup, “Tukoh Taka” features Trinidadian singer Nicki Minaj alongside Colombia’s Maluma and Lebanon’s Myriam Fares.
A song that “combines three of music’s iconic voices from across the globe”, it represents “the inclusivity of the game,” FIFA says - as the body prepares to hold a World Cup in a country where, it bears repeating, homosexuality isn’t allowed.