Kenshi Yonezu writes 2026 NHK Soccer Theme, says "The result was a song so personal it even surprised me"
Kenshi Yonezu has written a new song titled "Karasu" as the "2026 NHK Soccer Theme."
Regarding "Karasu," Yonezu commented, "While pondering what kind of song I should create—of all people—in this day and age, centered on the theme of soccer which I have loved for many years, the result was a song so personal it even surprised me. I wrote this song with the hope that the people who continue to stand tall and look forward within the massive structure of soccer can be healthy individuals as well as a collective."
It has been decided that "Karasu" will be premiered on the NHK General program "Sunday Sports" airing on May 10, and will be broadcast on various NHK soccer programs starting that same day. Furthermore, the song will be used during the "FIFA World Cup 2026," which kicks off on June 12 (JST).
Along with this announcement, a new artist photo of Yonezu has been released.
Kenshi Yonezu Comment
I have created a song called "Karasu" as the NHK Soccer Theme Song.
While pondering what kind of song I should create—of all people—in this day and age, centered on the theme of soccer which I have loved for many years, the result was a song so personal it even surprised me. I wrote this song with the hope that the people who continue to stand tall and look forward within the massive structure of soccer can be healthy individuals as well as a collective. Thank you.
Source: Music Natalie
*This content has been translated from Japanese into English using machine translation. We apologize for any mistakes in the current version, and will update accordingly.