England World Cup fans turn Michael Harris II into a Braves group chant at Truist Park

A group of England supporters arrived at Truist Park with World Cup momentum and left with a new hometown favorite. Fresh off their nation’s FIFA World Cup Round of 32 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier in Atlanta, the traveling England contingent took over the outfield bleachers during the Cardinals-Braves game and effectively created a fan club for Atlanta’s center fielder Michael Harris II.

The scene was built around simple, repeatable rhythms and lyrics aimed at Harris, whose speed has defined him as a marquee presence in the Braves outfield. According to MLB’s account of the moment, the supporters worked Harris into song-style chants, mixing in references to his name and pairing them with England’s own well-known rally cry.

The United Kingdom soccer backdrop mattered, too. That same England run had just produced a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Atlanta, with Harry Kane scoring both goals in the Round of 32. By the time the Braves played that Wednesday, the same crowd energy that typically follows a major tournament had been redirected, unusually, toward a specific MLB player.

On the field, Harris seemed to feed off the attention. MLB reported that he went 1-for-4 at the plate, collecting an RBI single in the eighth inning, while Atlanta ultimately won the game 5-1. The cheers were described as loud and consistent each time Harris came to bat, reflecting that the chant section was not a brief novelty but a deliberate thread through the contest.

The adoption had no obvious baseball-to-soccer pipeline, at least not publicly. MLB noted that Harris, who was born in DeKalb, Georgia, does not have a known connection to England or its “Three Lions” national team. Even so, the supporters treated the Braves center fielder like a star they had personally discovered, and they pushed for him whenever the lineup turned over.

As the night moved along, the crowd’s fixation sharpened. MLB also reported that Harris tossed a ball into the group of England rooters, which prompted a scramble as they tried to grab a souvenir from their newly spotlighted player. That exchange turned the chants into a shared moment, not just stadium theater.

For Atlanta, the entertainment value was clear, but there is also a practical baseball angle: players respond to recognition, and Harris’s role as a center fielder who can change games with defense and baserunning is naturally well-suited to the kind of crowd devotion that thrives on highlight moments. If the Braves continue to get consistent contributions from their core outfielders, this kind of audience engagement can become part of a team identity that plays well beyond individual games.

The bigger question now is whether the energy stays contained to one night or becomes a recurring storyline. With MLB’s summer schedule compressing routine into a near-constant stream of midweek matchups, any sustained buzz around a player can influence how fans remember the stretch. Either way, Wednesday’s game provided a rare crossover, where international soccer celebration spilled into an MLB ballgame and helped create a new set of chants for Harris at the plate.