The moment that crystallised England’s emotional journey through this World Cup came not on the pitch but in the stands of Dallas, after a victory over Croatia. Players and thousands of supporters sang “Wonderwall” together, a spontaneous chorus that has since become the team’s unofficial anthem. Spotify recorded a roughly 50 per cent surge in streams of the 1995 track in the United Kingdom in the days that followed, and captain Harry Kane described the shared singing as one of the most memorable experiences of his international career. Noel Gallagher, who wrote the song, told British media that the scene represented “a magical moment” and that the song now “belongs to the people.”

That communal ritual has now collided with the tournament’s most politically and historically charged fixture. England face Argentina in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta, a rematch layered with decades of sporting and cultural memory. Argentine outlets have seized on the pre-match tension, highlighting a message from Liam Gallagher that quickly went viral across Spanish-language social media. Replying to a user on X, the Oasis singer wrote: “It’s tough out here loving Argentina and all its beautiful people but not wanting them to win.” The post was received with humour by many Argentine fans, who noted the recognition of their country even as Gallagher made clear his ultimate loyalty.

Italian commentators have framed the episode as a test of England’s relationship with superstition. The country has not won a major trophy since 1966, and previous campaigns have been accompanied by anthems such as “It’s Coming Home” that, in the view of analysts in Rome, transformed hope into an unbearable weight. The shift to “Wonderwall” was initially seen as a break from that pattern—a song about connection rather than destiny. But Liam Gallagher’s subsequent declaration, “We’re going to win this World Cup, I don’t know how but I don’t care,” has, in the Italian reading, risked dragging the new anthem into the same cycle of expectation that undid earlier campaigns.

Brazilian social media offered a more caustic perspective. When a user mocked England for choosing an Oasis track over the catalogues of The Beatles, Queen or the Rolling Stones, Liam Gallagher responded with a British slang insult, telling the Brazilian the matter had “fuck all to do with you.” The exchange, widely reported in the Portuguese-language press, underscored the raw, defensive pride that the song now commands among English supporters.

Indonesian outlets have documented the mechanics of the phenomenon, noting that “Wonderwall” was one of three songs submitted by the English Football Association to FIFA for in-stadium play, alongside “Sweet Caroline” and “Hey Jude.” The post-Croatia viral moment, they report, cemented its status as the defining soundtrack of England’s run. The semifinal will determine whether that soundtrack accompanies a first final appearance in six decades, or whether, as Argentine fans hope, it becomes the closing track of another unfulfilled campaign.