Robbie Williams has been confirmed as the official FIFA Music Ambassador.
To mark his new role, the singer has written and recorded the first-ever Official FIFA anthem, ‘Desire’, which will be played as players walk onto the pitch during all FIFA tournaments and matches worldwide.
Discussing his new role, Williams said: “Music and football bring people together like nothing else — each with their own universal language of connection, emotion, spirit and community. When those worlds come together, there’s nothing like it — and I’m beyond honoured to be the FIFA Music Ambassador. Football and music have both been part of my life for as long as I can remember, so this means a lot to me on a personal level.”
Speaking on ‘Desire’, he added: “I’ve grown up watching the walk-outs, the anthems, the drama – so writing and recording the official FIFA anthem is a real privilege. I wanted to create something that captures all of it — the passion, the nerves, the pride and the majesty of that feeling just before kick-off.
“Football and music have always meant the world to me, and bringing them together on this kind of stage gives me goosebumps. I know I’ll get to perform this song at some of my favourite tournaments in the coming years, which fills me with excitement. It’s a real honour that Laura Pausini accepted my invitation to feature on the song – she’s an incredible artist with the perfect voice”.
Laura Pausini said: “It’s an honour for me to be invited to join Robbie Williams and be featured on the song DESIRE, written by Robbie. The song is amazing, really touching. It’s a dream to be with him for The FIFA Club World Cup. Since I was a little girl growing up in Italy I remember the thrill and passion for football in my home country. To be able to perform live with Robbie Williams in front of passionate football fans and to be heard by music fans around the world will be truly amazing.”
In other Robbie Williams news, he just wrapped up his ‘Britpop’ UK tour, which has seen him joined onstage by a slew of surprise guests, including all original members of the ‘90s boyband Five, Wiley and Lethal Bizzle, and Self Esteem.
Other surprise guests on the tour have come from former X Factor star Lucy Spraggan, Lulu, and Scottish singer and former Pop Idol finalist Michelle McManus.
The tour comes as Williams is preparing to release his first studio album in almost a decade, also titled ‘BRITPOP’. Visit here to pre-order. He has already previewed it with the single ‘Rocket’, which was released last month and features guitars from Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
Recently, the ‘Millenium’ singer spoke to NME at the Ivor Novello Awards, where he picked up the Icon Award for 2025. Reflecting on whether ‘BRITPOP’ will recapture the hedonism of the ‘90s, he said: “If hedonism is Jaffa Cake-based or Cadbury’s Fruit And Nut, then I’m in. Everything else I’ve got to park until I die. If I don’t park it, it’ll kill me.”
Discussing his guitar-dominated new approach, he added: “I was playing it safe and I’ve not been driving my own car. I’ve not had my hands on the wheel through second-thinking myself and guessing what people like. I just wanted to do something that I like.”
NEWS
Kelly Osbourne has revealed that she returned to drinking following the death of her father, Ozzy Osbourne, last year.
The television star shared that grief left her feeling like “a shell” of the person she once was, causing her to drink alcohol again after the Black Sabbath musician passed away in July 2025.
“I was a shell of myself. I couldn't speak. I couldn't eat. I couldn't do anything. I was just empty,” Kelly told Paul C. Brunson during Tuesday’s episode of his We Need To Talk podcast.
“Broken in every way a human being could possibly be broken and completely unable to even take care of myself. I was at ground zero. I started drinking again. I lost my mind. I couldn't handle it.”
The Osbournes star, who has spoken publicly about her long history with alcohol and drug addiction, also confirmed that she has now remained sober for eight months.
“I can honestly say today I'm eight months sober,” she declared. “I have the most incredible people around me. I closed my circle because I lost a lot of friends because people don't like sadness and they expected me to be over it. I will never be over it.”
Kelly has discussed her experiences with addiction on several occasions and disclosed in 2021 that she had started drinking again after maintaining four years of sobriety.
During another part of the conversation, the 41 year old looked back on the final exchange she shared with the Crazy Train rocker, which took place three days before his passing.
“He sat me down and said, 'Tots, I need you to know something... No matter what happens in this life, you can live the rest of your life knowing that there was one man on this planet that truly loved you, that truly loved you for every single thing you are. And that man is me,'” she remembered.
“And I started to cry, saying, 'Please don't talk like this' because he said, 'You know, I'm not going to be here forever and I know you struggle with people and believing you are loved. But I love you more than anyone.' Three days later, he was gone.”
