The FIFA World Cup 2026 soundtrack was dominated by global pop, African music and established football anthems—but K-pop also carved out a notable place in the listening habits of MENA audiences during the tournament.
Spotify and Anghami data from the June 11–July 19 tournament period show that K-pop’s presence was strongest through Jung Kook, BTS and LISA, with Korean artists appearing across both general streaming charts and FIFA/World Cup-focused playlists.
Jung Kook Leads K-Pop’s Presence in MENA
One of the clearest signs of K-pop’s reach came from Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven.” The track ranked No. 4 among the most-streamed songs across MENA on Spotify during the World Cup period, placing it alongside major regional hits from artists such as Saint Levant, TUL8TE, Ramy Sabry and Sherine.
The song performed particularly strongly in the UAE, where “Seven” was the No. 1 streamed song during the tournament. This is significant because it shows that K-pop was not limited to football-specific playlists: one of its biggest successes came from a song that was already deeply established in mainstream global listening.
Jung Kook’s wider FIFA connection was also evident through BTS’s “Dreamers,” which appeared at No. 6 on Spotify’s Top 10 FIFA/World Cup user playlists in MENA. Released as part of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 soundtrack, “Dreamers” continued to have staying power four years later, demonstrating how K-pop-linked football songs can remain relevant beyond the tournament for which they were originally created.
LISA Brings K-Pop Into the 2026 FIFA Soundtrack
The 2026 tournament also gave K-pop another direct connection to the official football music ecosystem through LISA’s “Goals,” a collaboration with Anitta, Rema and FIFA Sound.
On Spotify’s list of the Top 10 FIFA/World Cup user-playlist songs in MENA, “Goals” ranked No. 9. The track also appeared consistently in Anghami’s country-level rankings.
Across Anghami’s six MENA markets, “Goals” was particularly consistent:
- Egypt: No. 5
- Jordan: No. 3
- Saudi Arabia: No. 4
- Lebanon: Not in the Top 5
- Morocco: No. 5
- UAE: No. 5
That consistency is important. While “Goals” did not dominate any single market in the way some of the tournament’s biggest anthems did, it repeatedly placed among the five most-streamed FIFA/World Cup-related songs, showing broad regional appeal.
BTS and the Power of the FIFA Stage
BTS’s connection to the World Cup extended beyond streaming playlists. According to the Spotify data, BTS were the most-streamed artist among those performing at the FIFA World Cup final, generating more than 30 million streams on the day of the final.
The figure highlights the difference between a song’s position on a tournament playlist and an artist’s broader cultural impact. BTS’s appearance at the final created a major streaming moment, demonstrating the ability of K-pop’s biggest acts to translate a high-profile global sports event into renewed listening activity.
It also reinforces a broader trend: K-pop does not necessarily need to dominate football-specific charts to have an impact. Its influence can come through major individual artists, collaborations, performances and songs that already have a strong global audience.
Anghami Shows a Broader Regional Pattern
Anghami’s data provides another view of how FIFA-related music performed across MENA.
Burna Boy and Shakira’s “Dai Dai” was the clear regional leader, ranking No. 1 across all six markets—Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco and the UAE. The song also ranked No. 9 among all songs streamed in MENA on Spotify during the tournament and No. 1 on FIFA/World Cup-related playlists.
Behind it, however, the market-level rankings reveal a diverse musical landscape. Songs such as IShowSpeed’s “Champions (WC 26),” Shakira’s “Waka Waka,” “Illuminate,” “Siir Siir,” “DNA (More Than A Game)” and LISA’s “Goals” all appeared prominently.
K-pop therefore competed within a genuinely international soundtrack rather than a narrowly defined football genre.
Global reach
The data suggests that K-pop’s World Cup performance in MENA was less about producing the single biggest football anthem and more about maintaining a strong presence across multiple layers of listening.
Jung Kook’s “Seven” was a mainstream streaming success, particularly in the UAE. BTS’s “Dreamers” remained a popular football-playlist choice years after its release. LISA’s “Goals” entered the FIFA 2026 music conversation directly and reached the Top 5 in four of the six Anghami markets.
That combination points to the international nature of K-pop’s audience. Korean artists were able to compete alongside Arabic-language music, African pop, Latin-influenced sounds and established World Cup classics without relying entirely on a song being labelled as a football anthem.
A Multicultural Soundtrack
The MENA streaming data ultimately reflects the changing nature of the World Cup soundtrack.
The tournament’s most-streamed songs in MENA included artists from across the region and the world, while the FIFA/World Cup playlist rankings brought together Shakira, Burna Boy, IShowSpeed, K’NAAN, Andrea Bocelli, LISA, Rema, Anitta and BTS.
K-pop’s position within that mix is particularly notable because its strongest performers were not isolated from the wider global pop ecosystem. LISA appeared alongside Anitta and Rema, while Jung Kook’s “Seven” paired him with American rapper Latto. BTS’s “Dreamers” connected K-pop directly to FIFA’s football soundtrack.
The result is a picture of K-pop that goes beyond genre: during FIFA World Cup 2026, Korean artists were part of a genuinely global musical conversation.
The Bottom Line
K-pop did not produce the No. 1 FIFA song in MENA during the 2026 World Cup—that position belonged decisively to “Dai Dai.” But the data shows that K-pop was far from marginal.
With “Seven” ranking No. 4 among all MENA streams, “Dreamers” reaching No. 6 on FIFA/World Cup user playlists, LISA’s “Goals” repeatedly appearing in Anghami’s Top 5 across major markets, and BTS generating more than 30 million streams on the day of the final, K-pop demonstrated a strong and sustained presence.
For MENA listeners, the 2026 World Cup was not powered by one musical culture. It was a global soundtrack—and K-pop had a clear place in it.