Ranking 5 worst World Cup anthem songs

The ODI World Cup 2023 is just a few days away as India will host the cricketing extravaganza from October 5 onwards. The tournament will feature 48 matches across 10 venues with the final to be played on November 19. And to build excitement for the tournament, the official theme song for the 2023 World Cup was recently launched.

Before the first game even starts, the world is always ready to unite for cricket's biggest tournament. World Cup songs have become an integral part of the build-up to the tournament as well. We have heard theme songs for multiple ODI World Cups and T20 World Cups over the years.

There have been some gems like 'De Ghuma Ke' (for the 2011 ODI World Cup) and 'It's time for us' (for the 2015 ODI World Cup). These two theme songs have become iconic in their own right. These are often cited as examples of how a song uplifts the mood and excitement levels of the fans.

But over the years, there have been some songs that were made for the Cricket World Cup tournament, which failed to connect with the audience and fans. Fans couldn’t relate to the song at times. And some have been below par in quality and effort.

On that note, here are the 5 worst World Cup anthem songs ranked from bad to worst:

5. "Char Chokka Hoi Hoi" - Dilshad Nahar Kona, Elita Karim- 2014 T20 World Cup theme song

Bangladesh hosted the T20I World Cup in 2014, their second biggest ICC event as a solo host after hosting the 1998 Knockout Trophy, which later became the Champions Trophy. It was a big occasion for the whole country with big anticipation the anthem song was released, which was mostly in Bengali language. It also features sprinkles of English phrases as well.

The track is composed by famous Bangladeshi composer and artist Fuad al Muqtadir and has been sung by an ensemble of young vocalists, Dilshad Nahar Kona, Elita Karim, Pantha Kanai, Johan Alamgir, and Sanvir Huda amongst others.

The fans' reactions to the theme song were conflicting. It got a lot of criticism since, in the eyes of many, the song's lyrics and the music video that followed failed to accurately represent Bangladeshi culture and heritage. But the catchy tune provided some traction to the song as it was liked by youth in Bangladesh.