Well, she's back. For the fourth time, Shakira is gracing the World Cup with her musical presence, teaming up with Afrobeats sensation Burna Boy for "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 tournament. Because if it ain't broke, and it makes FIFA a lot of money, why fix it?
The track, which just hit streaming platforms, is meant to capture the "energy, passion and global spirit" of the games. Which, if you think about it, is a lot to ask of three minutes of pop music. Royalties from the song are heading straight to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, aiming to collect a cool $100 million for kids' education and, naturally, more soccer.
A Global Playlist for the Global Game
"Dai Dai" itself is a linguistic smorgasbord, pulling its title from the Italian for "come on, come on," and peppering its lyrics with similar calls to action in English, Japanese, French, and Spanish. It's a blend of Afrobeats and Latin Pop, mostly English, with a splash of Spanish, and even manages to shout out soccer legends like Pelé and Cristiano Ronaldo. Because nothing says global unity like a celebrity name-drop.
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Start Your News DetoxEduardo Herrera, an ethnomusicology professor, observed that the song ticks all the boxes for a solid World Cup anthem. FIFA's choice of Shakira (the undisputed queen of World Cup anthems) and Burna Boy (a Grammy-winning Nigerian artist who was the first African to sell out a U.S. stadium) is clearly a strategic play to win over massive Latin and sub-Saharan African audiences. Smart, really.
Shakira's 2010 hit, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)," still holds the Guinness World Record for the most streamed FIFA World Cup song on Spotify. She's basically the M.V.P. of World Cup music. And this year, she's not just lending her voice to the official song; she's also headlining the first-ever World Cup halftime show alongside Madonna and K-pop titans BTS. So, yes, "Dai Dai" is going to be everywhere.
Music has been a part of the World Cup since 1930, evolving from local tunes to FIFA's quest for that elusive "global sound" in the '90s. Remember Ricky Martin's "La Copa de la Vida" in 1998? That launched a career and a whole "Latin Explosion." Then came "Waka Waka," shifting things towards Latin beats with Afrobeats influence.
While "Dai Dai" is the official anthem, Herrera points out that the official song isn't always the one that truly defines the tournament. Sometimes, it's the fans who pick an unofficial anthem, like Argentine supporters did with "Muchachos" when their team won in 2022. With ticket prices soaring and fan boycotts looming, it'll be interesting to see if the real party — and the real soundtrack — ends up outside the stadiums.
Which, if you think about it, is perhaps the most authentic World Cup experience of all.
