In celebration of the FIFA World Cup 26™, which is under 500 days away (but who’s counting, right?), FIFA revealed the Official World Cup theme song for Boston, which will open the Gillette games in 2026.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Boston theme song
Boston’s Sonic ID, developed in collaboration with the Berklee College of Music makes Boston the only host city to work with an educational institution for the FIFA World Cup theme song.
“When we learned that we would be creating a unique Boston-infused sound for the FIFA World Cup 26, we knew that we wanted to work with the talented students and faculty at Berklee College of Music,” said Julie Duffy, chief marketing and communications officer, FIFA World Cup 26 Boston. “As a world-class institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, Berklee is the perfect collaborator for this inspirational project,” according to Berklee.
Boston’s Sonic ID produced by Berklee students
Under Rodney Alejandro, dean of Berklee’s Professional Writing and Music Technology Division, Ben Zakharenko (studying electronic production and design and songwriting) and Dayvin (studying electronic production and design and game and interactive media scoring) created “Boston’s Sonic ID.” Listening to the song, you’ll find Boston-infused sounds like Irish influences and crashing waves inspired by the city’s coastline.
“It is important that this sound represents the community—everyone in the community,” said Zakharenko. “We incorporated Boston’s Celtic origins and revolutionary spirit, its ’80s beats, and found inspiration from local music legends, including Aerosmith, New Kids on the Block, the Dropkick Murphys, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
“This is an incredible opportunity and a dream to partner with the biggest sports organization in the world to create something that will be heard on a global stage,” said Alejandro. “The magnitude of FIFA’s reach is unfathomable and a well-deserved spotlight for Ben and Dayvin’s talents.”
Each of the 16 host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will launch a unique Sonic ID theme song, created by local artists through March 16.