Football fans have been left unimpressed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem after a new performance from Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger.
The Robbie Williams-penned song, Desire, which will soundtrack next year’s highly anticipated global tournament, was performed live by the duo at the FIFA 2026 World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on Friday.
For many, this was the first time they had been introduced to the new anthem that contains lyrics like: ‘Aim high, fly by, destiny’s in front of you / It’s a beautiful game, and the dream is coming true
‘One love, one kind, this life’s in love with you / You chase the sun, and the world will run with you.’
The annual sporting event has a long history of iconic anthems that have stood the test of time, including Ricky Martin’s La Copa del la Vida, Shakira’s Waka Waka and Pitbull’s We Are One.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Take That star turned FIFA music ambassador’s latest hit will be joining that number.
‘That was the World Cup anthem? Hell NO!!!!’ Asare_Richway wrote on X.
Terry dubbed it ‘one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard’.
‘What do Nicole Scherzinger and Robbie Williams even have in common apart from being singers to make this trash song,’ afia asked.
‘Respectfully I just want to watch the World Cup Draw NOT listen to sodding Robbie Williams try and sing,’ RR complained.
As fans shared their shock at the US President Donald Trump being awarded the FIFA peace prize, Kimberley-Frankel joked: ‘If you think this is bad you missed the moment Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger sang the official World Cup song…..’
What do you think of the anthem?
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I love it!
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It’s fine…
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I really don’t like it
Will Green declared: ‘Robbie Williams trying to vibe but the song is utter s***e’.
‘Why don’t people realize that football anthems have to be fast-paced like Cup of Life, Waving Flag, Boom, and Waka, Waka!,’ Ankur Pramud complained.
‘Big fan of Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger. But this anthem is so boring compared to Waka Waka and We Are One,’ Rick Tweets echoed.
Fans who don’t like it will have to find a way to deal with it, however, as the song will be played at before each match as the players line-up before kick-off.
The music video was first released in July, also featuring Italian icon Laura Pausini, where there was a more positive reception.
In the YouTube comments, Iuandranel5895 called it ‘absolutely stunning’ while tradsanho said: ‘Bro, this is fire’.
Spa Pierre hailed it an ‘absolute vibe’, and whatsupandrew called it a ‘slow burner that will be huge soon’.
Appearing on talkSPORT earlier this week, the Angels hitmaker talked about how the anthem, which he co-wrote with Karl Brazil and Owen Parker, came to life.
‘I do melodies and lyrics, the top bit. Whatever song is sent underneath, it’s whatever it makes me feel. I pretty much knew what kind of song was needed for this occasion and I think we may have pulled it off,’ he said.
Later, he added: ‘I’ve sat down and watched 3000 games, I know what it feels like by now.’
He then piled praise on his live collaborator Nicole, calling her ‘completely amazing’ and ‘incredibly talented’.
FIFA World Cup 2026 starts in June with three host countries, Canada, Mexico and the USA.
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