French football chants and songs you will hear this summer

World Cup Summer is at our fingertips and if you are living in France, you will likely get involved in the infectious passion of French fan culture.

Like every fanbase, the French have plenty of songs and chants and football phrases that will be heard throughout stadiums as well as in the streets, bars and homes of France. 

Here are some of the songs and chants you may hear as France embarks on its World Cup run of 2026. 

I Will Survive 

I Will Survive is one of the unofficial anthems associated with French football. 

During France’s historic 1998 World Cup victory on home soil, a remix of this track by Hermes House Band was adopted by the players in the dressing room to keep morale high before matches.

It quickly spilled out into the streets, and now, generations of French people instantly connect the song to football.

Crucially, fans don't usually sing the lyrics. Instead, thousands of voices unite to belt out the brass line: "Lalala-lala... lalala-lala!" It is the ultimate song of celebration when France scores or wins a major knockout match.

Qui ne saute pas n'est pas Français! 

This is the classic stadium unifying chant. The entire crowd stands up, locks arms, and jumps rhythmically in unison.

It is thought to have come from Italian roots - where fans sing "Chi non salta è..." (He who doesn't jump is [insert rival team here]) - before being translated for French stadiums. 

The chant basically means “he who doesn’t jump is not French”. Usually the chant is led by a supporter with a megaphone and a drum. 

Over time it has become a chant to support France’s national team, however originally, it was football team Olympique Lyonnais who made it French. 

Lyonnais supporters are among the most famous ultra groups in Europe, and they would attend matches shouting “Qui ne saute pas n'est pas Lyonnais”. 

There are other versions of the chant around the world. In Argentina for example, it is used politically and in stadiums as "El que no salta es un inglés" (He who doesn't jump is an Englishman), dating back to the Falklands War era.

Aux Armes chant

Another chant borrowed from one of France’s regional teams, the Aux Armes chant is commonly used by Olympique de Marseille. 

One half of the stadium shouts, "Aux armes!" and the other half roars back, "Aux armes!". 

Aux Armes is literally a battle call, which would indicate that soldiers should pick up their weapons ready to fight. 

Then they alternate phrases: "Nous sommes les Français / Et nous allons gagner" (We are the French / And we are going to win). It ends with a massive collective scream of "Allez les Bleus!".

Dans les Yeux d'Émilie 

Dans les Yeux d'Émilie is one of those songs that almost every person in France knows the words to. It is blasted through stadiums during sporting events, while also frequently appearing on wedding playlists. 

Over the past couple of decades, the song has been taken by traditional brass marching bands and jazzed up for festivals in South-Western France. It really came into its own during the 2015 EuroBasket cup hosted in France, when a brass band would blast Dans Les Yeux d’Emilie anytime the French team needed a moral boost or some support. At the time, the French media even dubbed it the new I Will Survive. 

The contrast between the actual lyrics of the song, which is a nostalgic love song about a break up, and the passion with which crowds scream the tune, have made it representative of the powerful fan culture in France. 

Ramenez la coupe à la maison

When France won their second World Cup in 2018, a song which went viral following their journey to victory was Ramenez la coupe à la maison (Bring the cup back home). 

Released by French-Ivorian artist Vegedream in July 2018, for many it became the definitive soundtrack to France winning in Russia.

The lyrics pay tribute to almost every single player on the legendary 2018 squad.

Vegedream actually began writing the track during the semi-finals while watching France beat Belgium. He was so confident that Les Bleus were going to win the whole tournament that he went into the studio and completely recorded and mixed the track the night before the final match against Croatia even took place.

He didn't release it immediately because he didn't want to jinx the team. The moment the final whistle blew on July 15, 2018, and France officially won 4-2, the song leaked across social media, instantly becoming a viral hit before its official drop three days later.

Trumpet chant

The French trumpet chant involves a fan in the crowd imitating a short trumpet fanfare, usually to the tune of a Spanish pasodoble (traditionally En er mundo). The rest of the stadium responds immediately by shouting "Olé!" 

It is heard frequently at sporting matches in France, and usually causes laughter to ripple through the crowd. 

Allez les Bleus, Allez!

It feels too straightforward to include this chant, but you simply cannot write an article about famous French football chants without including the one that has penetrated around the world. 

This is the simplest, most repetitive chant in the French catalogue, meaning it is the one that casual fans and traveling supporters use the most to keep the atmosphere buzzing during quiet parts of the game. It is usually accompanied by a steady, driving drumbeat: Clap-clap, clap-clap-clap, ALLEZ LES BLEUS!