Music has taken on a bigger role than usual at the 2026 World Cup. The tournament has both an official anthem and an official song, although what the difference between those two concepts is, nobody is quite sure.

Pre-match pageantry places greater emphasis on player walkouts, while the much-maligned hydration breaks have become a huge in-stadium singalong in the majority of games. But another musical detail has got fans talking: the song that is played immediately before kickoff.

A changing pre-match soundtrack

In the first round of group games, players and officials walked out to “Sirius” by The Alan Parsons Project before lining up for the national anthems. However, that track is now no longer part of the pre-game agenda, replaced by “Dai Dai,” the official World Cup song performed by Shakira (who else?) and Burna Boy, since the start of the second round of group games.

“Dai Dai” quickly transitions into “DNA,” the World Cup’s official anthem, performed by legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, DJ David Guetta and singers Megan Thee Stallion and EJAE.

Given the status of those two songs, it all makes sense. But immediately before kickoff, we are left with another tune stuck in our heads until the first hydration break, one which FIFA appears to have adopted fairly randomly.

What is the World Cup 2026 song played before kickoff?

David Guetta gets some more royalties as his 2011 track “Titanium,” which features the vocals of Australian singer-songwriter Sia, rings around each and every World Cup stadium moments before the game gets underway.

The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2012, almost a year after it debuted, and was a big hit around the world, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the top 10 in numerous countries.

But why did FIFA decide this particular pop song just had to be an essential part of the pre-match experience at the 2026 World Cup, 15 years after it was released?

Why “Titanium”?

With lyrics referencing inner strength and the song’s accompanying music video focusing on a boy with supernatural powers, perhaps it is designed to serve as inspiration for those on the field to aspire to more than they think they are capable of? Or maybe Guetta just had supreme powers of persuasion in his dealings with FIFA?

World soccer’s governing body has not publicly explained the choice, nor responded to our attempts to discern the reason, so the mystery remains. We will let you know if that changes.

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