With just 100 days left until the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the tournament’s answer to the iconic vuvezela has been announced: the Unity Beat.
At an event at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Tuesday to release the catchy chant, NSW Premier Chris Minns spoke about how the tournament will change the lives of his state – and, of course, all of Australia and New Zealand.
Featuring megastar Sam Kerr alongside other global favorites like Ellie Carpenter and Caitlin Foord, the Matildas are the country’s fourth most popular team, regardless of gender. Olympics.
But of course it won’t just be passionate Matildas fans cheering on the action.
Young Matildas fans sing the official chant of the Women’s World Cup – the Unity Beat – at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on Tuesday morning
NSW Prime Minister Chris Minns (centre) got straight into the Women’s World Cup fever by sitting in the middle of football-mad fans to thump his chest and perform the chant
The Women’s World Cup in the world’s third largest sporting event, behind only the Summer Olympics and the Men’s World Cup; and will bring millions of fans Down Under.
Thirty-two different countries take part, and with 211 member countries including FIFA, there is singing to rouse the audience to create an epic atmosphere needed to break down various cultural barriers.
So, like the iconic (and much-hated) vuvezela horn from South Africa’s 2010 Men’s World Cup, the organizers realized they needed something that expressed passion and generated excitement without words.
Enter: the Unity Beat.
It is difficult to describe exactly what it is, but during the World Cup in July and August it will keep you awake at night. The beat is pulsating and will echo in your brain as you try to count sheep and another Matildas will win.
Steel drums bang, supporters stand up and sing while beating their chests – it’s quite a call to battle.
Football fans get excited while performing the Unity Beat on Tuesday morning
Matilda skipper, Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr, is always a hit with adoring fans
It is also not designed in a focus group. This was the brainchild of women and superfans and is designed to ensure that every supporter can join in the spine-chilling chant.
Ted Helliar, general manager of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, said they wanted to create something that had a “base feel” built from the sound of a heartbeat, with an emphasis on inclusion and diversity.
“When you go to a football game you go to support one team and the chants were about one fan group versus another fan group. What we wanted to do was create something that united the whole stadium before kick-off,” he said Tuesday morning.
“It’s a nice gesture and a powerful unification of the crowd.
“We wanted to make sure it had global appeal and was inclusive. Anyone can take part, no matter what language you speak, what possible disability you have. We went away from having lyrics and just had vocalization and movement.”
Matilda’s superfan Fatima Flores was excited to be at the unveiling of the Unity Beat and praised FIFA for involving the female fans in the process.
Matildas superfan Fatima Flores (center, in black) joins other football fans in the infectious chanting at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday
“It was great that FIFA decided to listen to the women’s fans in football,” she told reporters on Tuesday morning.
‘We [women’s football] having a totally different culture, so to be able to offer some suggestions and what it means to be part of the women’s soccer community [was special].
“It’s important to us as fans that we give them [Matildas players] the energy they can feed on, and that’s what women’s football is really about.
“It was memorable and something I will never forget and am proud to be a part of.”
Leading the chant is popular radio presenter and stadium presenter Jarrod Walsh, and he was in fine form Tuesday morning, even calling out to Premier Minns to get more involved.
Football fans weren’t quite sure what they were watching, but almost all of them were transfixed, indicating just how much the infectious chanting will become an earworm that will be nearly impossible to remove once the tournament gets underway.
Unity Beat leader Jarrod Walsh poses with the 2023 Women’s World Cup mascot, Tazuni, a penguin endemic to New Zealand and Australia
“I liked it…at first I thought this would be as cringe-inducing as it gets but as soon as I heard it felt like great World Cup work for everyone involved,” one fan wrote, while another wrote it compared to Queen frontman Freddie Mercury’s iconic concert call.
‘Probably akin to those Freddie Mercury call and response vocalisations you always hear at the cricket? Not my thing, but they always seem to get a reaction,” the fan wrote.
“I definitely see this becoming an earworm real quick, and it’s going to be a real hype with a packed stadium,” one commented, with another fan commenting, “It’s goofy, but it’s probably going to be pretty cool to have a stadium full of people doing this before every game.’
“The song that will haunt your dreams for a month in 100 days,” prominent Australian football pundit Vince Rugari wrote.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand will take place from July 20 to August 20, with the opening game New Zealand’s Football Ferns against 1995 winner Norway at Eden Park. T
The final will be held a month later at the tournament’s largest venue, Accor Stadium in Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Fans wishing to prepare for the Last-Minute Sales phase opening today can register for a FIFA Ticketing account ready for sale, while supporters seeking more information on ticketing can visit FIFA.com/tickets – the only destination to secure tickets to the tournament.