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.”
Samsung has officially answered the $15million lawsuit filed against them by Dua Lipa, denying the claims made by the singer.
The artist filed the lawsuit against the electronics giant earlier this month, accusing the company of using her image without approval to help market televisions.
The complaint focuses on cardboard TV packaging released by the brand in 2025, which allegedly featured a photo of the singer without compensation or permission being granted beforehand.
According to the lawsuit, her legal representatives attempted to stop Samsung from continuing to use the image, but claimed the company responded in a “dismissive and callous” manner. The filing also referenced reactions posted by fans on X/Twitter, where some users admitted the packaging influenced their interest in buying the TV.
“I’d get that TV just because Dua Lipa is on it,” one fan wrote, while another posted: “I wasn’t even planning on buying a tv but I saw the box so I decided to get it.”
The lawsuit includes allegations of copyright infringement, violations tied to California publicity rights laws, federal Lanham Act claims, and trademark related accusations.
Samsung has now issued a public response to the case and pushed back against the allegations made by the ‘Dance The Night’ hitmaker.
In a statement, Samsung explained: “The image of Dua Lipa was used in 2025 to display content from third-party partners available on Samsung TVs.
“Originally, the image was provided by a content partner for the free streaming service Samsung TV Plus. It was only used after the content partner had given explicit assurances that all necessary rights had been obtained – including use on sales packaging.”
The company also stated that it has “great respect for Dua Lipa” along with the intellectual property rights of artists, adding that it remains “open to a constructive solution” with the singer.
At this point, Dua Lipa’s representatives have not publicly addressed Samsung’s latest response.
Elsewhere, the singer recently curated the London Literature Festival 2026 at the Southbank Centre, surprised fans with an unexpected appearance during Tame Impala’s headline performance at The O2, and was also announced as part of the cast for a new A24 comedy titled Peaked.
