Fans are asking UEFA to bring back the original Champions League anthem after hearing the new 2026-27 version.
Fans are asking UEFA to bring back the original Champions League anthem after a new version was shared before Tuesday’s opening matches.
Europe’s top club competition is back on TV Tuesday night, with big teams like Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Manchester City, and Aston Villa playing. To celebrate, UEFA posted a clip of the Champions League anthem on social media, but lots of fans quickly asked them to return to the old version of the song.
UEFA updated the anthem for the 2024-25 season by making it faster and focusing more on singing. In the new clip, you can hear the vocals more clearly, but there’s less drumbeat, which many fans feel makes the anthem less powerful and less exciting.
The change didn’t sit well with fans back in 2024, and now, two years later, many still want the classic version. One fan said, “I still don’t know why they approved these changes.” Another wrote, “Please bring back the original anthem with the church choir sound. It’s majestic and inspires us to chase victory.”
A third fan commented, “I don’t like the new anthem. The old one was both elegant and powerful, fitting for all teams, big or small. The new one just feels calm, like it lost the excitement that pumps you up.” Another added, “The old anthem had life. This new version feels flat.”
Since it was first introduced in 1992, the Champions League anthem has grown to be one of the most famous sports songs. The music is Tony Britten’s 1992 version of a 1727 classical piece called Zadok the Priest, by George Frideric Handel.
Wondering about the words? The anthem is sung in UEFA’s three official languages: English, French, and German. It starts with lines like “They are the best teams” in all three languages, celebrating the champions and the exciting event.
The full anthem lasts about three minutes, but most fans know the shorter orchestral version that plays before every game.