There has been a change to how teams sing national anthems at the 2026 World Cup. FIFA, the organization that runs the World Cup, announced the change. For the first time in World Cup history, all of the players in the squads will sing their anthem. FIFA's president commented on the change. He said: "As the FIFA World Cup grows, we continue to innovate the way the game is experienced. The pre-match ceremonies... will be no different." He added that the World Cup is about every player and fan, and the new pre-match ceremony shows that.
FIFA said more players singing will add to the pre-match atmosphere. All squad members will stand around the centre circle and sing their anthem. FIFA said: "Having all players and referees face each other in the centre circle during the national anthems will create a moment of… emotion that truly belongs to the teams and to everyone in the stadium." Other parts of the game stay the same. Team captains will still toss a coin and exchange pennants. Players from each team will also shake hands with players from the other team.
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2026 FIFA World Cup - Level 0, 2026 FIFA World Cup - Level 1 or 2026 FIFA World Cup - Level 3
Sources- https://www.si.com/soccer/fifa-makes-major-pre-match-change-ahead-2026-world-cup
- https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fifa-announce-fan-centric-change-081952835.html
- https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-announces-new-national-anthem-protocol-for-2026-world-cup/
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