World Cup fans were united this weekend by a song synonymous with belonging, nostalgia and the yearning for home.
John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is enjoying a new wave of popularity as its sing-along chorus becomes a staple among soccer fans nationwide.
U.S. Soccer officials selected the song as the postmatch celebration tune for the men’s national team. Fans have since delighted in the resurgence of the classic 1971 country-folk hit, with videos circulating across social media of World Cup viewers proudly belting the lyrics.
On Friday, after the United States’ 2-0 win over Australia, the Seattle stadium of nearly 67,000 attendees broke out into a booming rendition of the song.
“The atmosphere was insane,” U.S. men’s national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said in an article on the U.S. Soccer website. “The chanting, the excitement, the energy — we felt that the whole game ... them singing ‘Country Roads’ was pretty special.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Soccer said FIFA had asked teams to submit potential playlists for warmups, goals and wins. When trying to determine suitable postgame songs for wins, the team sought ones that were “both representative of American artists and would be great sing-alongs for the crowd.”
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Livin’ on a Prayer” were the winners. The shortlist also included “Sweet Caroline,” according to the spokesperson, but England had already used that song.
Over the past half-century, the lyrics, “Country roads, take me home / To the place I belong / West Virginia, mountain mama / Take me home, country roads,” have become recognizable even beyond U.S. borders, as the song has cemented itself as a wildly popular tune around the world.
The World Cup, which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has turned host cities into hubs of cultural exchange as fans arrive from around the world.
Americans expressed a renewed sense of pride over their cultural staples, including Buc-ee’s and ranch dip, when tourists discovered them for the first time.
And for many immigrants and children of immigrants, seeing the World Cup in the United States brought them a rare opportunity to celebrate two home countries in one place.
Several World Cup viewers online said they feel singing “Country Roads” has become a way to express patriotism, support the national team and connect with fellow soccer fans worldwide.
In Atlanta, attendees at Czechia’s match against South Africa on Thursday and Spain’s match against Saudi Arabia on Sunday were seen singing the chorus’s lyrics even after the track stopped playing. One video filmed in Boston shows a crowd of Scotland fans clapping and singing along.
“Look, I love John Denver (rest his soul), but if you had told me that the entire world, apparently, knows ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’--let alone that it would be a certified World Cup banger--I definitely would not have believed you,” writer and activist Charlotte Clymer wrote in a social media post.
“I think it’s because we all want to go back to when the world made sense—now more prominent because we live in unrecognizable times. The ache of returning to something that felt safe is understandable. We are homesick,” an X user noted in their post. “In many ways, the World Cup in the USA has given people the freedom to feel what they needed: frivolity, kinship, and escape from stupid politics.”
But the song’s political undertones also sparked debate among some.
“Five years ago, professional athletes were wearing BLM masks on the field. Now, packed stadiums are singing ‘Country Roads’ after Team USA advances in the World Cup,” Charles Downs, a reporter for Laura Loomer’s far-right news show, wrote in a social media post. “The revolution is actually being televised. Welcome to the Golden Age.”
In response, several online pointed out that Denver was an outspoken left-leaning social and environmental activist until his death in 1997. His estate has previously spoken against the politicization of the song.
In 2016, after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump played “Take Me Home, Country Roads” at a rally in West Virginia, Denver’s estate shared a statement online requesting “that all candidates refrain from using his music.”
“We appreciate the admiration recently expressed for John Denver and his music,” the estate wrote at the time, “and believe that all candidates can benefit from his environmental and humanitarian legacy and from his commitment for peace.”
