U.S. National Anthem Slighted Ahead of the 2026 World Cup
This summer, the World Cup will be held in the United States for the first time in 32 years. It's America's time to put on a good show for the world's game.
While we're sure the USA will stack up from a hosting standpoint, and we hope the men's national team performs well on the pitch, a new study says the country may be lacking in one aspect: the pregame national anthem.
Sports and entertainment ticketing site SeatPick conducted a study ranking all 42 countries who have qualified for the World Cup so far by their respective national anthems. Unfortunately, "The Star-Spangled Banner" doesn't seem to measure up.
U.S. fails to score with its anthem
SeatPick analyzed all 42 anthems according to "tempo, energy, positivity, repetition, and language" to arrive at a final score. When the data was tabulated, "The Star-Spangled Banner" ranked 29th, firmly in the bottom half of anthems.
The American national anthem scored just 3.92/10, due to its "slow tempo and lack of energy."
"Despite the country’s deep-rooted pride in ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, it ranks 29th overall, raising the question of whether it matches the atmosphere of a stadium in 2026," SeatPick said in an email.
If there's one thing Americans can take solace in, "The Star-Spangled Banner" did not bomb like Scotland's "Flower of Scotland," which ranked dead last with a score of 0.23/10.
England's "God Save The King" wasn't much better, coming in fourth-worst with a 0.93 score.
The 10 best national anthems at the 2026 World Cup, per SeatPick
- Spain - "La Marcha Real": 9.7/10
- Morocco - "Cherifian Anthem": 9.53/10
- South Korea - "Aegukga": 9.3/10
- Algeria - "Kassaman": 9.07/10
- Brazil - "Hino Nacional Brasileiro": 8.84/10
- Colombia: "¡Oh Gloria Inmarcesible!": 8.60/10
- Argentina: "Himno Nacional Argentino": 8.37/10
- Mexico: "Himno Nacional Mexicano": 7.91/10
- France: "La Marseillaise": 7.91/10
- Tunisia: "Humat al-Hima": 7.67/10
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11-July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The World Cup Final will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19.
There are still six spots in the 48-team field remaining, with qualifying tournaments taking place around the world.