World Cup 2022: Dafydd Iwan on Yma O Hyd's chart-topping success

Watch the full interview with Dafydd Iwan

Welsh singer Dafydd Iwan has hinted at 'Yma O Hyd' becoming the official anthem for Wales in this year's World Cup.

His patriotic anthem hit the number one spot on Wednesday following Wales' historic World Cup qualification.

33,000 fans sang along to his famous Welsh language folk song as he performed it before and after Wales' victory over Ukraine.

Welsh football fans launched a campaign after the match to get the song to number one in the UK singles chart, with some claiming the song helped lead Gareth Bale and his team to one of Wales' greatest ever sporting successes.

Speaking on Wales at Six, Dafydd said: "It's been a big week for me, I'm a bit punch drunk!

"Meeting the team today is much bigger for me then being number one in the chart. But I thank the fans and that's the important thing about this is that the fans are driving it."

Originally released in 1981, the song tells the story of how Welsh language and culture has survived more than 2,000 years against all the odds.

"The 1980s weren't good times for Wales," Dafydd said.

"The mines were closing, the factories were closing, we'd just lost the referendum - it looked miserable and we felt it needed a boost."So Yma O Hyd was written as a booster and to say: 'Ok, we've had tough times, and we've been through it all - we've been here 1600 years and counting."

The song became an unofficial anthem for the Wales national team as they qualified for their first World Cup since 1958. So is Dafydd tempted to re-record this song as the official anthem? He told Wales At Six: "We're thinking about what we can do to support the team further.

"The great thing is there are good men behind the scenes in (FAW, Football Association of Wales) and they've got an excellent recording of the crowd singing.

"I don't think there's been a better recording of a crowd singing ever - and that is available - so we could probably do something with that."

Watch Dafydd Iwan performing 'Yma o Hyd' on HTV in 1986: