There's a new one-of-a-kind theme song to accompany the FIFA World Cup games hosted by Boston in 2026.
Boston is the only host city to have one of its schools team up with FIFA and the local promotions team to create its own original sonic ID.
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Dubbed "the Boston theme," the tune is the official World Cup song to play in all seven World Cup games hosted at Gillette Stadium.
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"We just really wanted to get that feedback from people really from here, and enforce that we're emphasizing the right aspects of the community," said Ben Zakharenko, who co-composed the song.
Zakharenko and his roommate and classmate, Deven "Dayvin" Kamralyons, were chosen late last year among a pool of contenders to deliver the two-minute eclectic melody, with just a week to put it together.
"There was this amazing opportunity that was going to potentially change our careers, and that was all we were told," said Kamralyons.
They drew inspiration from influences ranging from Dropkick Murphys to Aerosmith, while paying homage to the city's orchestral history and its coastline communities.
"I played a lot of live flute, a little bit of live tin whistle, live acoustic and electric guitar," said Zakharenko. "Dayvin replayed -- it was electronically, but he did play a lot of the keyboard parts, did a lot of the drum programming."
"I feel like the city of Boston itself marries all those elements together, so it was just translating that into music," added Kamralyons.
The Berklee seniors consulted with their professors and other locals to nail down the melting pot of sounds. They hope their rendition offers soccer fans and anyone with a sense of Beantown pride a song that brings them and the world together around the beautiful game.
"Even when it does happen, and they're playing it in the stadiums, I don't know if I'll be able to really process what's going on," said Zakharenko.
The song is available on YouTube and streaming platforms, and it will air as part of television and online ads.
