They play “Country Roads” at FIFA events because it’s become a crowd-pleasing singalong anthem for the U.S. team, not because it has anything official to do with FIFA itself. Reports say FIFA asked teams for playlists, U.S. Soccer submitted win songs, and FIFA staff later picked “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as one of the tracks to play after U.S. matches; the song then took off with fans and players alike.

Why it stuck

  • It’s easy for a whole stadium to sing.
  • The chorus is instantly recognizable, even to casual fans.
  • It creates the same kind of shared post-match moment that songs like “Wonderwall” or “Sweet Caroline” have done for other teams.

Why this song

“Country Roads” has a nostalgic, home-and-belonging feel that fits victory celebrations really well, and that emotional simplicity is a big reason it caught on so fast. One report says it was first played after a U.S. win in Seattle, then repeated after later matches because the reaction was so strong.

In one line

It’s basically the U.S. team’s current victory anthem because FIFA and U.S. Soccer wanted a song fans could belt out together, and “Country Roads” turned out to be the perfect fit.