'The perfect football song': Why England fans (like Beckham) and players love Wonderwall

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Beckham joins in with Wonderwall By Paul Glynn Culture reporter Published 3 July 2026 Updated 57 minutes ago "Cmon England cmon Wonderwall." That was the message , external once again from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher on Sunday morning, after England's travelling supporters - including Sir David Beckham - sang his band's most famous song with the players at full-time following their World Cup quarter-final win over Norway in Miami. It has become a new tradition in recent weeks, being belted out after all five of the men's team's wins across the US and Mexico. Speaking to the Sun after their opening win in Dallas, the man who wrote it, Liam's brother and bandmate Noel Gallagher said: "Wonderwall belongs to the people, and it was a magical moment between the people and the players." And he claims not to be an England fan. Captain Harry Kane told the Lions' Den podcast that the first impromptu singalong was one of his "favourite ever moments in an England shirt". His old teammate and now BBC Sport pundit Joe Hart said after the DR Congo game that such "phenomenal" moments of unity allow players to "drop the mask, just for a few minutes, of being an elite professional". Norway fans and players may have combined similarly to do the "Viking row" , but (after all) it's Wonderwall that "resonates with being English", one fan told BBC Sport. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Wonderwall: 'No words can explain it' While traditional England anthems including Three Lions, Vindaloo, World in Motion, as well as Sweet Caroline - the accidental breakout hit from Euro 2020 - have still been heard in pubs around the country, Wonderwall appears to be the song of the summer so far. The number two hit, taken from Oasis's all-conquering 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory, re-entered the UK top 40 singles chart last week as a result of the initial viral moment. And on Friday it shot up from number 32 to 11. In 2008, shortly before the Manchester band split up, Liam declared that he "can't stand singing that song" - the acoustically-driven ballad that launched a thousand buskers. But since then he has done exactly that, many times and to great effect for adoring fans around the world throughout the band's big-selling reunion tour last year. 'Song for the moment' Image source, Getty Images Image caption, England players have been facing the fans behind the goal for shared Oasis singalongs after wins in Dallas, New Jersey, Atlanta, Mexico City and Miami Author and broadcaster PJ Harrison, who last year released the biography Gallagher: The Rise and Fall of Oasis, finds the process of pop songs being adopted by football fans fascinating. In the 1960s, the Evertonian tells BBC News, there was a tradition for fans simply singing pop hits of the day. He thinks what is happening now