World Cup 2022: England's Three Lions song to be updated to honour Lionesses | OneFootball

David Baddiel and Frank Skinner are set to release a Christmas version of the iconic anthem ‘Three Lions’ with updated lyrics.

The song will show support for England in their World Cup run, as well as celebrating the success of the Lionesses at Euro 2022.

The decision to update the song comes 26 years after it was originally released ahead of the men’s Euros in 1996.

After becoming one of the nation’s most recognised football anthems over the last two decades, the new Christmas version will give fans some new lines to chant during matches.

Updating the classic anthem

Baddiel himself admitted after the Lionesses won the title at Euro 2022, he thought the song would be “put to bed” given the fact the nation’s long wait for a trophy had ended.

Spearheaded by manager Sarina Wiegman and captain Leah Williamson, England beat eight-time European champions Germany at Wembley to end 56 years of hurt.

Since the song is based on England’s bid to end their trophy drought since they won the 1966 World Cup, it was a sensible train of thought to assume the lyrics would no longer be relatable.

However, it seems the ongoing celebration of England’s triumph during the summer is the perfect reason to keep the iconic song alive and freshen up the lyrics. And what better time to release an updated version than over the Christmas period?

“Me and Frank said, ‘let’s rewrite it with some Christmassy lyrics and some comedy’. And we thought we’d write about the Lionesses winning, update it a bit,” Baddiel said during The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.

“We filmed the video the other day. It was basically the first video we ever shot in 1996 — it’s a version of that, but with us much, much older.”

The new version will be dubbed ‘Three Lions on a Sleigh’.

The history of Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home)

Baddiel and Skinner have once again teamed up with The Lightning Seeds, who they originally recorded the track with.

The song was released ahead of Euro 96 — a huge opportunity for England to end their 30-year wait for a trophy on home soil.

With an official song backing their journey, the nation was convinced football was finally coming home again. But it was not to be.

Video: Watch the original release of ‘Three Lions’ from 1996

After finishing top of their group and edging past Spain in the quarter-finals, England were knocked out by eventual champions Germany in the semis.

Despite the heartbreak, it didn’t stop fans from continuing to sing ‘Three Lions’ during international tournaments runs.

England men came agonisingly close to a trophy after reaching the final of Euro 2020. A devastating result saw Italy beat them on penalties but the Lionesses were able to avenge the disappointment by bringing home the title a year later.