editorial team
Since kicking off in June, football has captivated fans around the globe. From the opening match of the world’s game to its wild semi-final, there’s been no shortage of drama, including joyous triumphs, bitter disappointments, and surprise upsets. In other words: It’s been awesome.
But the excitement hasn’t been limited to the pitch—fans also love a little soundtrack to accompany their cheers.
Check out 10 of the most exciting football moments from the past few weeks as told by Spotify streaming data.
June15: “La Roja Baila” Heats Up For Spain vs. Portugal
The heated match between historical rivals Spain and Portugal inspired a huge increase in streams of “La Roja Baila” (“The Red Dance”), a collaboration between Spanish singer Niña Pastori and footballer Sergio Ramos. The track, which was the official anthem of the Spanish National Team for the 2016 Euro Cup, saw a 43 percent increase right after the action went down.
June 16: Iceland Brings it ‘Home’ In their First Tournament Appearance
In its first-ever World Cup match, Iceland scored against Argentina, ultimately tying them 1-1 in their debut game. The country’s historic goal—and goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson’s awe-inspiring save against Argentina’s Lionel Messi—energized an entire nation to turn up the music. One song that spiked ʼround the fjords was “Eg er kominn heim” (“I’ve Come Home”), Iceland’s favorite football song.
June 18: Mexico Rejoices in Historic Song For Win Over Germany
When Mexico beat Germany 1-0, fans couldn’t stop streaming “Cielito Lindo,” or “Lovely Sweet One,” a popular folk song. In recent years, the song has become an unofficial football anthem, with fans calling, “Sing and don’t cry!”
June 26: Messi and Rojo Score On The Field and at “The Club”
After tying Iceland, Argentina bounced back against Nigeria with triumphant goals from Lionel Messi and Marcos Rojo. Fans turned it up with El Pepo’s “Hoy Acá en el Baile” (“Here Today at the Club”), which spiked by about 114 percent.
June 28: Mexico Goes “Gangnam” For South Korea’s Victory Over Germany
South Korea’s surprise win over Germany kept Mexico in the tournament, which inspired Mexican fans to honor their good fortune with a Korean electro hit. “Gangnam Style” — as much a pop culture phenomenon as a song—was Mexico’s biggest party jam right after the match.
July 3: England Celebrates Penalty Shootout Win Over Colombia in Signature Style
England’s match against Colombia was a close one, but the Three Lions eventually triumphed 4-3. Naturally, English fans celebrated with their signature football anthem, 1996’s “Three Lions,” by The Lightning Seeds, which was streamed over 450,000 times.
July 3: Sweden Gets Nostalgic During First Quarterfinal in 24 Years
Sweden made it to a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time since 1994, which offered fans a great reason to get nostalgic. They chose to reminisce with a classic track from that year, “När vi gräver guld i USA,” which translates to “When We Dig For Gold In The USA.”
July 6: Belgium Emerge as “Champions” Against Brazil
Belgium had a lot to celebrate when the team beat Brazil 2-1. And what better victory theme is there than “We Are The Champions”? Belgian streams of the classic Queen track increased by almost 289 percent after the match.
July 10: France “Survives” Belgium (With a Little Help from Gloria Gaynor)
Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco empowerment anthem “I Will Survive” probably wasn’t written for the soccer field, but it worked wonders for France, who increased streams of the song by more than 800 percent after their 1-0 win against Belgium.
July 15: And finally, football fans around the world celebrated the big win with song!
