BBC SPORT | WORLD CUP | England | Ant and Dec front England anthem

England's official World Cup song will be sung by Pop Idol presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

The duo, more commonly known as Ant and Dec, have recorded 'We're On The Ball', a reworking of an old Arsenal anthem.

At a news conference on Thursday, the pair revealed that the single will be released on 27 May, four days before first match of the World Cup.

Which England fan would not want to sing it?

Anthony McPartlin

Four years ago, the official song 'How Does It Feel To Be', written by Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch and sung by artists including the Spice Girls, was overshadowed by unofficial anthems 'Vindaloo', by Fat Les, and the reworked 'Three Lions '98'.

World Cup songs from yesteryear

And "We're On The Ball" will also be challenged by a clutch of unofficial songs set to be released over the coming weeks, including creations by Fat Les and former England manager Terry Venables.

Another of their rivals, People United, attempted to steal the limelight from the Geordie duo by performing their own song, 'World Cup in Our Hands', outside the FA's headquarters.

This summer's other World Cup songs

But McPartlin said he was proud to be fronting the official England anthem, despite agreeing that most fans were not worried about whether or not a song was FA-backed.

"It doesn't matter to the fans but the fact that it's an official song means more to us," said McPartlin.

"Which England fan would not want to sing it?"

Keith Allen's Fat Les will provide stiff opposition for Ant & Dec

"Plus the Spice Girls was a rubbish record and ours is brilliant," added Donnelly.

McPartlin and Donnelly are no strangers to chart success: they had a string of top ten hits in the early 90s under the guise of PJ and Duncan, their character names in BBC children's series Byker Grove.

"We are really chuffed The FA chose us to write and record the official England World Cup 2002 song," the pair said.

"Obviously our previous crimes against music weren't taken into account when they were passing judgment!"

The fight to sing the official song is always a fierce competition and won credibility in 1990, when it was recorded by New Order.

'World In Motion', featuring the infamous rap by footballer John Barnes, went all the way to number one in the UK.



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