Scotland achieved an agonizing World Cup qualification in 2025, ending a 28-year absence from the top international competition. The pass unleashed euphoria in the country, since it was achieved at the last moment.
In this context, Belle and Sebastian have taken Scotland’s victory against Denmark personally and wanted to join the celebrations with the release of ‘It Only Takes One Lion’, a song that they want to serve as a possible anthem in support of the Scottish team during the tournament.
The song has been co-written and produced with Wuh Oh. According to Stuart Murdoch, it was born from the experience of following the team for decades and the collective emotion experienced after their qualification: “It is a personal song about following the adventures of the Scotland team over the last 50 years, and it came out naturally the day after the game against Denmark. The song tries to encompass the experience of the entire country following Scotland.”
With this release, the Glasgow band reconnects its imagination with Scottish cultural identity, as it did at other times in its career.
The song also arrives in the middle of the anniversary tour of ‘Tigermilk’ and ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’, two albums that turn 30 in 2026 and that the band links, in an almost mythological way, with different moments in the emotional and football history of the country.
