Sound is at the centre of sports, and an N.L. researcher says World Cup chants go beyond the game

Sports and sound have always been intertwined. The roar of a cheering crowd, a soccer ball hitting the net, and the ring of a final whistle. It's all music to the ears of Luis Achondo, who has studied the sounds of soccer for decades.

Sound is at the centre of sports, and an N.L. researcher says World Cup chants go beyond the game Fans assert themselves in matches through sound, says Luis Achondo Sports and sound have always been intertwined. The roar of a cheering crowd, a soccer ball hitting the net, and the ring of a final whistle. It's all music to the ears of Luis Achondo, who has studied the sounds of soccer for years.

He says that without sounds or music, sports just wouldn't be the same. "Think about the pandemic. We needed fake crowd noise [when sports returned].

Because without sound, sporting experiences are really dull and boring," Achondo told CBC News this week. Achondo is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology and musicology at Memorial University. Ethnomusicology is the study of human engagement with sound through social and cultural contexts.

He's spent a decade studying the sounds of soccer, and has been watching FIFA World Cup 2026 with a very close eye. Because the stage is much larger, Achondo said it makes for a melting pot of cultures around the world interacting through sound. "Sound is probably the most important way fans assert their place within soccer," he said.

Sound lends itself to sports like soccer, he said, particularly through crowd chants. Achondo pointed to countries like England chanting popular songs like Oasis' Wonderwall, The Beatles' Hey Jude — a tribute to star midfielder Jude Bellingham — and Mexico's iconic singing of Cielito Lindo. But sound can also be used in a different way in sport.

Much of Achondo's studies have centred around fans in South America, particularly in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. He studies Barra Bravas — hardcore South American supporters known for mob violence and intimidation. "South American fans express political positions through sounds.

Whether that's about club politics, the world of soccer at large, or broader social conflicts," he said, adding chants often depict violence and threats, silence opposition or serve as a way to share a unified message in the country. For example, Achondo said, Argentinian fans have been chanting about England since the beginning of the tournament. It centres around the Falklands War, a 74-day conflict over the sovereignty of the islands off South America in 1982.

England will face Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. But while there can be opposition, Achondo said he ultimately sees sound as a unifier at the World Cup as fans come together and connect through sport and culture. "In many ways, it's a beautiful story of the ways in which we are different," he said.

"And we sound different, and that's ok. And we can co-exist, especially in this context." Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.

Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page. With files from The St. John's Morning Show