have waited 60 years to rediscover their 'oasis' at the FIFA World Cup™. In the meantime, they have already found their Wonderwall.
However inspiring and legendary the stories of England’s sole World Cup win in 1966 may be, the soundtrack to the team’s dream of a 2026 repeat is a song from 1995 that has connected the squad with their fans like never before.
In a moment that has already become a tradition at the , fans and players once again sang along to the Oasis classic after the in Atlanta. Whilst the ritual becomes more familiar with every match, the players only seem to be enjoying it more.
Harry Kane, who scored twice to seal England’s win, has already said it is rapidly becoming one of the best things about playing for his country. "That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt," Kane said of the celebrations following the 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas. "That emotional connection with the fans... We see how much it means to them and we know what it means to us,” he told the national team’s official podcast.
FIFA cameras picked up a comment from Kane to his team-mates in the England huddle after the final whistle. After congratulating them on their efforts in the match, the No9 urged them to move closer to the fans to join in the singing and stressed that the difficulty of the win should not stop them from savouring the moment. “It’s incredible,” he added.
Defender Nico O’Reilly also took the message on board and told FIFA: “It doesn’t matter who the opponents are, we need to celebrate. It gives us a real buzz to sing along with the fans.”
In a recent interview with The Sun, Oasis star Noel Gallagher backed the campaign for the song to establish itself as a national-team anthem: “Wonderwall belongs to the people, and it has become a magical moment between the fans and the players.”
His brother and fellow Oasis icon, Liam, also got excited after the Congo DR match: “Come on England and Wonderwall,” he said.
The lyrics to the song refer to a character who seems to have lost the “fire in their heart” that drove them, but who, deep down, never doubted their own ability. Just like England, with their arduous 60-year wait. In fact, Wonderwall has been associated with hope since it was first written.
Noel, who wrote the song, originally intended to call it Wishing Stone. Liam once said the idea came from childhood, from the human desire for a friend, real or imaginary, to be able to save someone from something bad happening.
For all of England, that friend and saviour is Kane. Indeed, the Three Lions’ official social media accounts posted a picture of the forward with the lyric “Because maybe you’re going to be the one that saves me” underneath.
Kane, the country’s leading scorer in World Cup history with 13 goals to date, answered the pleas of the England faithful and stepped up once again to settle a difficult game. After all, he is England's Wonderwall.
Sources: FIFA Official
