Coca-Cola, J Balvin Reimagine Van Halen's 'Jump' for FIFA World Cup 2026

Coca-Cola has released its official anthem for the FIFA World Cup 2026, dropping a reimagined version of Van Halen's "Jump" through its in-house music label Real Thing Records.

The track features Colombian superstar J Balvin and singer-songwriter Amber Mark, with guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Travis Barker rounding out the lineup.

It was released in partnership with Capitol Records on March 6, as the latest move in Coca-Cola's "All the Feels" World Cup campaign.

An animated music video, art-directed by visual artist McFlyy, premiered on MTV Live and the Paramount Times Square billboards, with a cameo from Spanish football star Lamine Yamal.

For Coca-Cola, the song is a continuation of a brand sponsorship strategy built up across decades.

It has served as an official FIFA World Cup partner since 1978, and this is its latest attempt to give the tournament a sound that fans will remember.

A Classic Track Gets a New Cast

Van Halen's "Jump" was the band's biggest commercial single, reaching number one in 1984.

For the artists involved with remaking the classic track, the approach was far from straightforward.

J Balvin described the process as handling something delicate:

"I'm really precautious when it comes to songs like this one," he told the Associated Press.

"It's like touching the Mona Lisa."

Mark, whose voice opens the track, took a similar line on the collaboration:

"Van Halen's 'Jump' is one of those rare songs that transcends generations, so approaching it came with a lot of respect," she said in an interview with Stereogum.

"Being able to honor the original while bringing a modern perspective was incredibly special."

On the production side, Vai rebuilds the song's signature guitar solo while Barker handles percussion.

Each name on the track opens the anthemto a different audience, and together they give Coca-Cola a single piece of content with the reach of a multi-market campaign.

The track is the musical centerpiece of Coca-Cola's "All the Feels" World Cup campaign, which launched in January with a hero spot built around the same song.

The full anthem release gives the campaign a second wave of attention three months before the tournament kicks off.

"JUMP" follows a long line of World Cup anthems Coca-Cola has produced for the tournament.

This includes K'naan's "Wavin' Flag" in 2010, Jason Derulo's "Colors" in 2018, and a reimagining of Queen's "A Kind of Magic" in 2022.

Real Thing Records and the Anthem Lineage

The track was released through Real Thing Records, Coca-Cola's music label launched in 2025 in partnership with Universal Music Group.

The label was set up to give the company direct control over branded music projects at a global scale.

Joshua Burke, Coca-Cola's head of global music and culture marketing, framed the track around the emotional experience of watching football:

"Being a football fan means feeling everything at full volume — the joy, the heartbreak, and the hope that keeps you coming back," he said in a statement.

"'JUMP' captures those shared highs and lows that unite fans everywhere."

The scale of the audience makes the stakes clear as the FIFA World Cup 2026 is projected to draw 6 billion global viewers, up from 5 billion in 2022.

Coca-Cola's approach to this campaign offers a few insights brands can use when planning around major sporting events:

• Own the buildup: Releasing the anthem months before the tournament gives it time to build familiarity before the advertising push begins.
• Use casting as a distribution strategy: A multi-artist lineup functions as a reach tool, covering different demographics without requiring separate regional versions.
• Build music infrastructure for long-term use: An in-house label gives brands direct control over future campaigns and removes dependence on licensing deals.

Coca-Cola's brand positioning around football runs deep enough that the music holds its own weight long after the sponsorship context fades.

Our Take: Does 'JUMP' Have Legs Past the Tournament?

We think the song's casting was a smart choice.

Balvin, Mark, Vai, and Barker pull from enough different fan bases that the track has a real shot at landing across diverse markets.

The tune is certainly catchy and nostalgic.

But how far "JUMP" travels will still come down to how aggressively Coca-Cola pushes it through the summer.

The anthem arrives alongside other football activations from the brand, including the Premier League "Superfan Can" campaign that lets U.K. fans present the Golden Boot on the final matchday.

Global brands building music-led sports campaigns need creative partners who understand how to carry a single concept across markets and formats.

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