Why are England fans chanting, ‘It’s coming home; football is coming home’?

It’s the most collective chant coming out of every living room and pub across England. What is this chant and why is it on every England football fan's lips?

The chant is taken from a song titled ‘Three Lions’ which was released 22 years ago in the summer of 1996, in the run-up to the European Championship held in England. The song shot up straight to number one in the UK Singles chart and enjoyed a two-week stay.

An updated version 2.0 of the song called ‘3 Lions 98’ was subsequently released in June 1998 ahead of the France 1998 World Cup. The V2.0 of the song managed to go one better than its predecessor, staying for three weeks on top of the UK Singles chart. The song is a collaboration of comedian duo Frank Skinner and David Baddiel and the band The Lightning Seeds.

After an absence of nearly two decades, the song has made a huge comeback in the on-going 2018 Russia World Cup, courtesy of a young Southgate side. The song perfectly connects the players and the fans. The lyrics of the song, which begin with, "It’s coming home" reflect the irony and the pain that the English players and fans alike have felt for decades with poor showings in major tournaments.

They were the first to codify the game and set up the first official governing body for Association Football, in the process becoming the sport’s first governing body globally. But they have only won one World Cup so far.

In contrast to the previous England squads, the present one didn’t have much expectations from the fans before the World Cup started. But decent performances in the group stages and finally removing the penalty shoot-out curse against Colombia have triggered an air of optimism among England supporters across the world.

The words thus reflect the 'homecoming' of football, provided the Three Lions lift the 2018 World Cup.