Why the US World Cup chants are being mocked

o some, the US chants sound joyful, while to others they seem awkward, rehearsed or painfully unoriginal. What, then, makes supporters’ songs truly memorable?

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup is under way in Canada, Mexico and the United States, one contest has begun online: the fight over who sounds like a “real” soccer fan.

Fans in the US have been mocked on social media for chants such as “I believe that we will win” and “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

To some, they sound joyful. To others, especially those raised on older soccer traditions, they sound awkward, rehearsed or painfully unoriginal.

But this debate is about much more than whether one chant is better than another. Sports chants are cultural passports. They teach people how to belong – who counts as an insider – and whose version of soccer is “legitimate”.

Read the full story on Times 2.

 

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