Believe it or not, God Save the King isn’t on the list.
As the nation’s best football players file out of the tunnel and down onto the pitch, they link arms near the touchline on halfway in the brotherly formation so synonymous with an international fixture and more specifically with the World Cup.
Their adoring fans fill the stands and sing in unison that most curious of tunes – the national anthem.
However, beyond the instantly recognisable God Save The King, Star Spangled Banner and La Marseillaise are some absolute gems of national hymns that often remain unnoticed and underappreciated.
Here we will explore five such anthems and their stories:
- Uruguay – Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba
As is the case with many South American anthems, Uruguay’s “Easterners, the Fatherland or the Grave” in English is a rousing rendition that evokes their fight for independence.
Officially declared the national anthem in July 1833, this is actually the world’s longest national anthem when performed in full at a whopping 105 bars of music.
Don’t worry though – at the World Cup they will keep it to just the intro and the first verse!
Chromatic clarinet scales in the introduction are followed by powerful lyrics including lines that tell of “taming the wrath” of the Spanish monarchy and how independence was won “inch by inch with blind fury”.
It will be exciting to see the likes of Darwin Nunez, Fede Valverde and Edinson Cavani belting out this one!
- Wales – Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau
“Old Land of My Fathers” was written in early 1858 by weaver and poet Evan James and composed by his son James James – a harpist.
An inspiring arrangement that we have become so accustomed to seeing at Welsh national rugby games, it will ring around the stadiums of Qatar in just its second appearance at a football World Cup – as Wales have not qualified for the tournament since their debut 1958.
The lyrics pay homage to the landscape of Wales – its “seas that secure a land so pure” and “each gorge and each valley a loveliness guards.”
When captain Gareth Bale and co take to the field to represent the 3.2-million strong Welsh nation against England on 29th November, they have a great anthem to look forward to before kick-off against their old rivals.
- Cameroon – Ô Cameroun berceau de nos ancêtres (O Cameroon, Cradle of our Forefathers)
The West African nation is one of only two countries in the world with both English and French as official languages – the other being Canada – and this is reflected in their national anthem.
When played in its full form, the upbeat “Rallying Song”, as it is commonly known, has verses in both tongues.
The French lyrics used in the piece today were adopted in 1970, after it was decided to remove references to the French and English as barbarians and savages respectively!
Cameroon’s legendary Head Coach Rigobert Song had the privilege of singing the national anthem a record 157 times and at four World Cups as a player.
Keep an ear out for the rising crescendo to close the piece that will be sure to get the adrenaline going just before kick-off.
Song will be willing his men to get out of Group G in Qatar and on 2nd December the Indomitable Lions face up against notable omission from this list Brazil. A clash worth tuning into for the renditions of the anthems alone!
- México – Mexicanos, al grito la guerra (Mexicans, at the cry of war)
The bombastic, all-singing, all-dancing Himno Nacional makes a case for the anthem that best suits the character of its people on this list.
When Mexico met Germany at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow for their Russia 2018 opener, the stadium erupted into song that inspired a famous 1-0 win over the then World Cup holders.
Written in the aftermath of the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848, this composition was initially a call for unity in a country in disarray after losing more than half its territory to the United States and was officially adopted on September 16, 1854.
This is reflected in its calls to give “no mercy to any who shall try to tarnish the coats of arms of the Fatherland,” and “at the cry of war, assemble the steel and the bridle.”
The country whose “eternal destiny was written by the finger of God” have qualified for the round of 16 a record seven consecutive times – but failed to advance on each of those occasions.
Los Tri will be looking to shake the curse of history this time round and make a deep knockout run.
- Morocco – Al-nashid al-sharif (Cherifian Anthem)
The last piece on this list hails from the North African nation of Morocco, and was composed by French military officer Leo Morgan in 1956.
Words were later added by the well-known Moroccan author Ali Squalli Houssaini in 1970 when the men’s national football team qualified for the World Cup for the first time.
There are two competing stories for how the lyrics were decided upon.
One claims that King Hassan II – monarch at the time – called a competition to find lyrics for the piece, with Squalli’s version gaining popular and royal approval.
The other says that Hassan II directly ordered Squalli, then already a well-established author, to come up with the words.
While much of the true essence of the song is lost in the English translation, the marching rhythm and crashing cymbals make for a special experience every time this is sung.
The opening lines of “root of the free, rising place of the lights” set the tone for a rousing listening experience and when Morocco open their campaign against last tournament’s finalists Croatia on 23rd November, you can be sure the Atlas Lions stars Hakim Ziyech, Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui will be fired up by this one.
