Europa League anthem: Composer & story behind UEFA competition song

Played before kick off in Europe's second biggest tournament, the composition has become widely recognisable for football fans across the continent

The anthem is played in all stadiums which host Europa League games across Europe, building up the anticipation of fans immediately before kick off.

The anthem also reaches those watching from home as it is aired at the start and end of every Europa League match broadcast around the world.

GOAL takes a look at the Europa League anthem, the composer, the lyrics and how to listen to it.

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Who composed the Europa League anthem?

The Europa League anthem was composed by former hip-hop producer Michael Kadelbach and was recorded in Berlin, Germany.

Kadelbach, who is a die-hard Eintracht Frankfurt fan, commented on the anthem: "I wanted this music to capture all the emotion and energy I felt as a youngster standing side by side with my friends as we all loudly clapped and cheered on our team, win or lose."

The Europa League has had two anthems since its rebranding from the UEFA Cup in 2009, with the current version accompanying the tournament since 2015-16.

Are there lyrics in the Europa League anthem?

The Europa League anthem has no lyrics; instead, the song's core rhythm is that of fans clapping, which is used to represent the support of their respective teams.

Which is partly explained in Kadelbach’s quote above, “as we all loudly clapped and cheered on our team”.