{"id":2116,"date":"2026-06-23T06:33:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T06:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2116"},"modified":"2026-06-23T06:33:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T06:33:42","slug":"country-roads-is-taking-the-world-cup-by-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2116","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Country Roads’ is taking the World Cup by storm"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

World Cup fans were united this weekend by a song synonymous with belonging, nostalgia and the yearning for home.<\/p>\n

Read more Miami Heat acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo in blockbuster trade with Bucks, according to reports<\/a><\/p>\n

John Denver\u2019s \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d is enjoying a new wave of popularity as its singalong chorus becomes a staple among soccer fans nationwide.<\/p>\n

U.S. Soccer officials selected the song as the post-match celebration tune for the men\u2019s national team. Fans have since delighted in the resurgence of the classic 1971 country-folk hit, with videos circulating across social media of World Cup viewers proudly belting the lyrics.<\/p>\n

On Friday, after the United States\u2019 2-0 win over Australia, the Seattle stadium of nearly 67,000 attendees broke out into a booming rendition of the song. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere was insane,\u201d U.S. men\u2019s national team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said in a statement. \u201cThe chanting, the excitement, the energy \u2014 we felt that the whole game… them singing \u2018Country Roads\u2019 was pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for U.S. Soccer said that FIFA had asked teams to submit potential playlists for warmups, goals and wins. When trying to determine suitable postgame songs for wins, the team sought ones that were \u201cboth representative of American artists and would be great singalongs for the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d and \u201cLiving On A Prayer\u201d were the winners. The shortlist also included \u201cSweet Caroline,\u201d according to the spokesperson, but England had already used that song.<\/p>\n

Over the past half century, the lyrics, \u201cCountry roads, take me home \/ To the place I belong \/ West Virginia, mountain mama \/ Take me home, country roads,\u201d have become recognizable even beyond U.S. borders, as the song has cemented itself as a wildly popular tune around the world.<\/p>\n

The World Cup, which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has turned host cities into hubs of cultural exchange as fans arrive from around the world.<\/p>\n

Americans expressed a renewed sense of pride over their cultural staples, including Buc-ee\u2019s and ranch dip, when tourists discovered them for the first time.<\/p>\n

Read more FCC takes aim at Disney\u2019s push for public support amid regulatory probes<\/a><\/p>\n

And for many immigrants and children of immigrants, seeing the World Cup in the United States brought them a rare opportunity to celebrate two home countries in one place.<\/p>\n

Several World Cup viewers online said they feel singing \u201cCountry Roads\u201d has become a way to express patriotism, support the national team and connect with fellow soccer fans worldwide.<\/p>\n

In Atlanta, attendees at Czechia\u2019s match against South Africa on Thursday and Spain\u2019s match against Saudi Arabia on Sunday were seen singing the chorus\u2019s lyrics even after the track stopped playing. One video filmed in Boston shows a crowd of Scotland fans clapping and singing along.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, I love John Denver (rest his soul), but if you had told me that the entire world, apparently, knows \u2018Take Me Home, Country Roads\u2019–let alone that it would be a certified World Cup banger–I definitely would not have believed you,\u201d one user wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s because we all want to go back to when the world made sense\u2014now more prominent because we live in unrecognizable times. The ache of returning to something that felt safe is understandable. We are homesick,\u201d another X user noted in their post. \u201cIn many ways, the World Cup in the USA has given people the freedom to feel what they needed: frivolity, kinship, and escape from stupid politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the song\u2019s political undertones also sparked debate among some.<\/p>\n

\u201cFive years ago, professional athletes were wearing BLM masks on the field. Now, packed stadiums are singing \u2018Country Roads\u2019 after Team USA advances in the World Cup,\u201d one X user wrote in a post. \u201cThe revolution is actually being televised. Welcome to the Golden Age.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response, several pointed out that Denver was an outspoken left-leaning social and environmental activist until his death in 1997. His estate has previously spoken against the politicization of the song. <\/p>\n

In 2016, after then-presidential candidate Donald Trump played \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads\u201d at a rally in West Virginia, his estate shared a statement online requesting \u201cthat all candidates refrain from using his music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate the admiration recently expressed for John Denver and his music,\u201d the estate wrote at the time, \u201cand believe that all candidates can benefit from his environmental and humanitarian legacy and from his commitment for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Tucker Carlson says he\u2019ll no longer support the Republican Party<\/a><\/p>\n

Olivia Santini contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer U.S. men\u2019s national team defender Heath Pearce thinks the U.S. can make the World Cup semifinal.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World Cup fans were united this weekend by \u2018Country Roads,\u2019 a song synonymous with belonging, nostalgia and the yearning for home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Country Roads' is taking the World Cup by storm - Jacksonville Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2116\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Country Roads' is taking the World Cup by storm - Jacksonville Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World Cup fans were united this weekend by \u2018Country Roads,\u2019 a song synonymous with belonging, nostalgia and the yearning for home.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=2116\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jacksonville Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-23T06:33:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bd97a0052a7a1d8119a1fd0b85af888b\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018Country Roads’ is taking the World Cup by storm\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T06:33:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116\"},\"wordCount\":792,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/ce661bb7e5fa2c370ac2c126b62be16a.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"2026 World Cup\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\\\/?p=2116\",\"name\":\"\u2018Country Roads' is taking the World Cup by storm - 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