Berklee Students Mix Boston Host City Theme Music for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Students from Berklee College of Music in Boston have crafted a distinctively Boston-themed sound for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It all began when FIFA Sound asked each of the 16 host cities to create a customized World Cup ’26 theme with a local flavor.
“When we learned that we would be creating a unique Boston-infused sound for the FIFA World Cup 26, we knew that we wanted to work with the talented students and faculty at Berklee College of Music,” said Julie Duffy, chief marketing and communications officer, FIFA World Cup 26 Boston, in a news release shared with Boston 25 News. “As a world-class institute of contemporary music and the performing arts, Berklee is the perfect collaborator for this inspirational project.”
The music, referred to as the Sonic ID, will be performed at the stadium before games and at fan experiences. Berklee hosted its own competition among students to create Boston’s Sonic ID and have their work heard by millions.
Student composers Ben Zakharenko (an electronic production and design/songwriting major, Class of 2025) and Dayvin (an electronic production and design/games and interactive media scoring major, Class of 2025) were selected for the winning team.
[EMBED YOUTUBE VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOzH2g2S4QE]
“We just did our best to do some research and talk to as many Boston natives as we know,” said Zakharenko. “They recommended some certain influences, like New Kids on the Block and New Addition. We wanted to sort of involve a lot of that sort of like rock and Irish heritage of elements as well in the remix.”
Grammy award-winning artist Tommy Torres, a Berklee alum, said, “I think when Bostonians hear this, they’re going to be really proud.”
Fans will be able to stream, download, and listen to city-specific Sonic IDs on music platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, and watch each city’s Sonic ID visualizer on FIFA’s YouTube channel. Fans can also follow the release of each Sonic ID on the FIFA World Cup website.