Ever felt that shiver down your spine just before kick-off on a Tuesday or Wednesday night? It’s not just the floodlights or the sight of the world’s best players lining up. It’s the music. That soaring, quasi-operatic wave of sound that signals something special is about to happen. The Champions League Anthem is more than just a piece of music; it’s the sonic curtain-raiser for football’s grandest theatre.
And as the revamped 2024/25 tournament gets into its stride, eagle-eared fans have noticed a subtle, yet significant, refresh to the iconic tune. This season, the story isn’t just about the new format on the pitch, but also about the revitalized sound ringing around the stadiums, a project once again helmed by its original creator. The discussion around the Tony Britten UEFA Champions League anthem 24/25 version is a testament to how deeply this composition is woven into the fabric of the sport, solidifying its place as the undisputed UEFA Champions League Anthem Song.
Who Created the Champions League Anthem? A Familiar Tune, A Fresh Feel
So, what exactly has changed? Let’s be clear, this isn’t a radical overhaul. The soul of the anthem, the melody that sends goosebumps across a continent, remains untouched. Thank goodness for that, right? Instead, what we have with the New Champions League Anthem is a masterful refinement. To mark the competition’s most significant format change in a generation, UEFA went back to the source: English composer Tony Britten.
Britten, the man who gifted us the original back in 1992, returned to the studio to re-record and polish his masterpiece. The result? The new rendition, performed with the world-renowned Tenebrae choir, is slightly faster, with a crisper, more pronounced vocal focus. It feels more urgent, more dynamic – a perfect reflection of the relentless, high-stakes nature of the new league-phase format.
It’s as if the music itself has been put on a new training regime. Britten’s goal was to evolve the anthem for a new generation of fans and players without losing the gravitas and prestige that make it so beloved. It’s a delicate balancing act, but one he has pulled off with aplomb. The essence is the same, but the delivery has an added sharpness, a renewed energy for a new era of European football.
The anthem of my heart ♥️🎶
Happy Champions League day ✨pic.twitter.com/ghbJQiOrjO— ☆ Habiba ☆ (@Habiba_Youssef) September 16, 2025
Why Do City Boo the Champions League Anthem?
Manchester City fans boo the Champions League anthem as a long-standing protest against UEFA, not the music itself. The tradition stems from a sense of unfair treatment, dating back to the introduction of Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions in 2014.
It intensified after a match in Moscow, where City fans were unjustly barred while some home fans attended. This sentiment was solidified when UEFA’s two-year ban on the club was dramatically overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020. The booing is now a symbolic rejection of UEFA’s authority and perceived bias against the club.
What is The History of the Champions League Anthem? From Handel to the Halfway Line
To understand the anthem, you have to rewind to 1992. Football was on the cusp of a significant transformation. UEFA was rebranding its premier club competition, moving away from the straightforward knockout “European Cup” to the glitzier, more commercially powerful “Champions League.” They needed more than a new logo; they needed a new identity, an aura of unparalleled prestige.
They commissioned Tony Britten with a specific brief: create something classical, something epic. This wasn’t to be a pop jingle. This was to be the sound of footballing royalty. As Britten himself has noted, classical music was having a moment, thanks to the “Three Tenors” captivating the world at the 1990 World Cup. He turned to the ultimate source of coronation music: George Frideric Handel’s 1727 anthem, “Zadok the Priest,” composed for the coronation of King George II.
If you’ve ever heard “Zadok the Priest,” the DNA is unmistakable. That slow, suspenseful orchestral build-up that explodes into a triumphant choral celebration – it’s all there. Britten masterfully adapted and re-arranged elements of Handel’s work, creating a piece that felt both timeless and modern. It was performed by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, instantly cementing a sound that felt less like a football match and more like a blockbuster film premiere.
What is the Champions League Anthem Lyrics? A European Chorus of Tony Britten UEFA Champions League anthem 24/25
For decades, millions of us have stood in stadiums or sat on our sofas, humming along and belting out the final, triumphant crescendo: “THE CHAMPIONS!” But what about the rest of it? What are those powerful, operatic words actually saying?
The Champions League Anthem Lyrics are a clever and symbolic blend of UEFA’s three official languages: English, German, and French. This linguistic tapestry is no accident; it represents the pan-European spirit of the competition, a coming together of different nations and cultures under one banner of footballing excellence.
When Britten was composing, UEFA didn’t provide him with a pre-written text. So, he built the lyrics himself from a list of superlatives that describe the very essence of the tournament. Words like ‘the best’, ‘the masters’, ‘the main event’, and ‘the great teams’ were translated to form the powerful, simple, and direct verses.
Here they are in full:
Ce sont les meilleures équipes (French: “These are the best teams”)
Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften (German: “They are the very best teams”)
The main event
Die Meister (German: “The masters”)
Die Besten (German: “The best”)
Les grandes équipes (French: “The great teams”)
The champions
Une grande réunion (French: “A big meeting”)
Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung (German: “A great sporting event”)
The main event
Ils sont les meilleurs (French: “They are the best”)
Sie sind die Besten (German: “They are the best”)
These are the champions
The lyrics aren’t telling a complex story. They are an acclamation. A declaration. They set the stage by simply stating the facts: you are here to witness the absolute pinnacle of the sport.
The Enduring Legacy of the New UEFA Champions League Anthem Song
Why does this music resonate so deeply? Because it has become a powerful psychological trigger. For fans, it’s the call to arms, the signal to put everything aside for the next 90 minutes. For players, it’s the realisation of a dream. Countless stars have spoken about what it feels like to stand in that line-up and hear the anthem boom around them – a moment where the magnitude of the occasion truly hits home. It’s the final, deep breath before the plunge.
From a 1992 commission designed to add a bit of classical polish to a rebranded tournament, the Champions League Anthem has evolved into a piece of global sporting culture. Its recent refinement by Tony Britten for the 24/25 season shows a reverence for its legacy, while ensuring its sound remains as sharp and elite as the football it represents. It is, and will remain, the undisputed soundtrack to glory.
