What is the Champions League music and what are the lyrics to the football anthem?

14 March 2023, 09:55 | Updated: 18 September 2023, 16:30

Played before every Champions League game, it’s one of the most recognisable anthems in football. Here’s a dive into the history of the Handel-inspired theme.

The UEFA Champions League anthem, officially titled ‘Champions League’, is an adaptation of the most famous of Handel’s Coronation Anthems, ‘Zadok the Priest’.

But who adapted it, and how long has it been the theme music for the football competition?

Who wrote the Champions League anthem?

Composer Tony Britten was commissioned to write the Champions League theme in 1992 when the football competition was rebranded.

Britten, a graduate of the Royal College of Music, borrowed heavily from Handel’s much-loved choral anthem – and it stuck.

Coincidentally, Classic FM also launched in 1992, and ‘Zadok the Priest’ was the first piece ever broadcast on the station.

The version of the theme that you’ll hear before a match is performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

Read more: What are the lyrics to ‘Zadok The Priest’, and was it played at The Queen’s coronation?

Handel's Zadok the Priest – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

“[It] makes use of several elements from Handel’s original composition, but reshuffles and transforms them to suit the new context,” Swedish author Johan Fornäs says of the anthem.

The complete theme is around three minutes long, including two short verses and the chorus. It also combines UEFA’s three official languages: English, French and German.

Read more: What is the Match of the Day TV theme tune, and who composed it?

UEFA Champions League Anthem - Epic Version

What are the lyrics to the Champions League theme?

Ce sont les meilleures équipes
Es sind die allerbesten Mannschaften
The main event

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Une grande réunion
Eine grosse sportliche Veranstaltung
The main event

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

Ils sont les meilleurs
Sie sind die Besten
These are the champions

Die Meister
Die Besten
Les grandes équipes
The champions

What are the lyrics when translated into English?

They are the best teams
They are the best teams
The main event

The master
The best
The great teams
The champions

A big meeting
A great sporting event
The main event