On March 20, 2026, FIFA officially announced the release of the first song of the official album. Captioning the announcement "The first song of the biggest ever #FIFAWorldCup Official Album is here.", a short video was uploaded with the title 'LIGHTER', featuring Jelly Roll and Carin Leon.
FIFA World Cup Song 'LIGHTER' By Jelly Roll
The FIFA World Cup is set to take place from 11 June 2026 to 19 July 2026. The announcement of Jelly Roll as the voice of the 2026 FIFA World Cup's song Lighter has sent football fans into a frenzy. What was expected to be a good start for the biggest and most-watched sporting event quickly turned into a wave of mass criticism.
Lighter by Jelly Roll has shifted the theme of 'World Cup songs,' and fans are not happy about it. It has significantly shifted from high-energy pop anthems to country-rock, mid-tempo. Football fans all around the world have started comparing it to some of the past iconic FIFA World Cup anthems.
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Here's how some of the fans reacted to the FIFA World Cup Song Lighter by Jell Rose.
A fan frustratedly commented, "Imagine having 1000s of world's BEST musical artists, BIGGEST and LARGEST pool of musical superstars in EVERY possible genre of music, with the MOST brilliant musical producers you can find on the face of the EARTH!!! And this is the best song North America has to offer?…."
Another fan shared a video of Wavin' Flag by K'naan and replied to 'Lighter' by commenting, "Send this to your creative design team, have them watch it, and then go back to the drawing board and try again."
While a huge number of fans were collectively 'condemning' the song, some fans tried to explain the new theme Lighter carries. Here's what they said, "Lighter" blends American country, rock, and Mexican regional music elements, aiming to connect the three host countries of the United States, Mexico, and Canada through a cross-cultural soundscape, symbolising commonalities and connections between different cultures."
Fans were quick to draw comparisons to a decade back World Cup anthems and flooded the comment sections with GIFs of Shakira. One fan said, "Nothing is going to match the 2010 vibes we all know .. but this one won't match any vibe at all ????."
Another fan disappointedly shared, "Sorry, but you aren't replacing Wavin Flag or Waka Waka. Those songs will always be forever #1 in the hearts and minds of soccer fans alike."
One fan criticised Jelly Roll, stating, "What kind of slop is this … so you're telling me between Canada, Mexico and the USA this is the best artist you can get? lmao."
Fans have already declared it the worst World Cup song, with comments like these. "You really thought this was a good idea? ???? There's 0 passion. The worst World Cup song."
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