England's World Cup campaign has found an unlikely anthem in Oasis's 1995 hit 'Wonderwall', which has been adopted by fans and players alike after the team's victories in the United States. The song, first belted out by supporters in Texas following a crucial win over Croatia, has since echoed through stadiums from Massachusetts to Atlanta, and is expected to be heard in Mexico City when England face tournament co-hosts Mexico on Sunday.
Emotional connection between fans and players
England captain Harry Kane described the moment fans began singing 'Wonderwall' as one of his favourites in an England shirt. 'The emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them,' Kane told the Lions' Den podcast. The scene of Kane and teammates Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers, and Ollie Watkins singing along with fans after England's victory over Democratic Republic of the Congo has been widely shared.
Russell Osborne, host of the Three Lions podcast, highlighted the reciprocal nature of the song. 'It's almost a time-and-place moment for those guys out in the States following the team. And the team are singing it back to them – it's a reciprocal thing. They're all enjoying it and loving it, coming together with that one song.'
Why Wonderwall works as a terrace anthem
Author and broadcaster PJ Harrison, who wrote the biography 'Gallagher: The Fall and Rise of Oasis', attributes the song's terrace appeal to its ambiguous lyrics and simple, familiar melody. 'What is a Wonderwall? I'm not really sure what it is but I can sing about it and it can be whatever I think it is,' he told BBC News. 'If I think it's Jude Bellingham or if I think it's England winning, it can be that, or it could be my girlfriend or whatever.'
Osborne also points to nostalgia, with many travelling fans remembering the mid-1990s as a time of youth and optimism. The song's adoption follows a tradition of England fans embracing pop anthems, such as Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' during the Euro 2020 run, which was also taken up by the women's team during their Euro 2022 and 2025 triumphs.
Future of the anthem
Osborne believes 'Wonderwall' should be left behind once the team returns home, whether or not they bring back the trophy. 'Looking into the future, I can almost see England play on a wet Thursday night in March in a friendly, and drawing 0-0, and half the crowd have gone home early, and the DJ at the end of the game thinks 'Right, I'm going to stick Wonderwall on and we're going to try and get the same reaction.'' But, he said, to really get it, you probably had to be there.
