The Football Association will look to create an anthem to soundtrack its flagship FA Cup competition in a bid to emulate the instantly recognisable Uefa Champions League theme.
The European governing body has two soundtracks for its two biggest club competitions, the Champions League and the Europa League, both of which are quickly identifiable with their respective brands.
The FA is keen for a similar effect to build up hype and excitement ahead of Cup clashes, and have engaged a company associated with Universal Music in a bid to compose two original tunes for both their men’s and women’s competitions.
Like the European anthems, the FA hope that their soundtrack will boost the pre-match atmosphere.
The Champions League anthem in particular has long been glorified by both fans and players, with Erling Haaland among those to have spoken up the tune’s spirit-rousing effect.
‘I wake up to it everyday,’ Haaland said over six years ago, when the striking superstar was starting out at RB Leipzig. ‘It’s the last song I’ll get tired of.’
Aston Villa fans reserved a special cheer at the sound of the anthem being played at Villa Park last season, after the club returned to Europe’s top table after years in the wilderness.
The Football Association will look to add to the magic of the FA Cup by creating a special pre-match anthem
The FA will likely hope that their anthem inspires the same aspirational quality in the Cup’s competitors, with the music set to be played during the handshakes from the earliest rounds to the final at Wembley.
Other competitions to use anthems to dramatic effect include the Premier League – although this has often been a handy platform for boos of dissent for clubs who have felt recently penalised by the league – and Formula One, who debuted their official theme in 2018.
Historic FA Cup broadcaster BBC Sport has also successfully created a number of theme tunes that are immediately familiar to followers of sporting events such as Wimbledon and the London Marathon, or programmes like Match of the Day.
