Fans create AI-generated team songs ahead of World Cup

World Cup fans are using artificial intelligence to create viral team anthems ahead of the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The trend began in February with "Imbattables," an AI-generated song for France by Crystalo, who describes himself as France’s "premier AI musical creator." The track lists star players like Kylian Mbappe and uses a call-and-response format. A Brazilian anthem followed, created by producer Guilherme Maia (M4IA), who combined AI tools with his own production to craft a phonk melody featuring Brazilian players. Soon, similar songs for Portugal, Argentina, and Germany emerged, copying Maia’s structure—including a phonk beat, player name chants, and references to ‘king’ players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. Maia acknowledged the trend reflects fan-driven emulation but stressed AI’s role as a creative assistant rather than a sole composer. Experts highlight concerns over copyright and authorship. Jason Palamara, an assistant professor of music technology at Indiana University, noted AI models lack clarity on crediting artists whose work trains them. Maia emphasized that he built his track independently, using AI for specific elements rather than relying on tools like Suno to generate full songs. Despite this, some AI-generated tracks have errors, such as a Portuguese anthem sung with a Brazilian accent or a Colombian version mispronouncing James Rodriguez’s name. Morgan Hayduk, co-CEO of music rights software company Beatdapp, observed that listeners may prioritize enjoyment over artistic complexity, embracing AI songs for their novelty and fan-driven origins. Meanwhile, FIFA’s official anthem by Jelly Roll and Carin Leon, along with Shakira’s World Cup track, has drawn less attention compared to the AI fan creations flooding social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The trend underscores broader questions about AI’s impact on music creation, from ownership disputes to the devaluation of human creativity in an era where viral, low-effort content dominates fan engagement.