{"id":32601,"date":"2026-06-05T10:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=32601"},"modified":"2026-06-05T10:28:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:28:50","slug":"shakira-burna-boy-to-perform-world-cup-anthem-at-opening-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/shakira-burna-boy-to-perform-world-cup-anthem-at-opening-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Shakira, Burna Boy to Perform World Cup Anthem at Opening Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MEXICO CITY <\/strong>\u2014 Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Burna Boy will headline the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, performing the tournament\u2019s official anthem Dai Dai<\/em> at Estadio Azteca on June 11 before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FIFA described the song as \u201ca celebration of football\u2019s power to unite people across cultures and continents.\u201d The title, an Italian phrase meaning \u201clet\u2019s go\u201d or \u201ccome on,\u201d is expected to be one of the centrepieces of the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joining Shakira and Burna Boy on stage will be Colombian reggaeton artist J Balvin and South African singer-songwriter Tyla, adding a global mix of sounds to the launch of the month-long tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted a song that captures the energy, passion and global spirit of the FIFA World Cup,\u201d FIFA said in a statement. \u201cShakira and Burna Boy bring together two of the world\u2019s most influential musical voices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening ceremony in Mexico is one of three planned across the host nations. In Canada, Michael Bubl\u00e9 and Alanis Morissette will headline celebrations before Canada\u2019s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12. In the United States, Katy Perry and rapper Future will perform before the U.S. faces Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shakira\u2019s return to the World Cup stage continues her long association with football\u2019s biggest tournament, following the success of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)<\/em> in 2010 and La La La<\/em> in 2014. She is also scheduled to appear at the World Cup final on July 19, co-headlining the tournament\u2019s first-ever Super Bowl-style halftime show alongside Madonna and K-pop group BTS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans and commentators reacted with excitement across social media. On X, @AfrobeatNation wrote: \u201cBurna Boy on the World Cup stage is history in the making. Afrobeats has truly gone global.\u201d<\/em> Another user, @LatinPopFan, added: \u201cShakira is the queen of World Cup anthems. This is the perfect comeback.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy makers and cultural stakeholders also weighed in. Nigeria\u2019s Minister of Culture, Hannatu Musawa, said: \u201cBurna Boy\u2019s inclusion is a proud moment for Nigeria. It shows the world the power of our music and culture.\u201d<\/em> Colombian journalist Juan Carlos Restrepo commented: \u201cShakira\u2019s voice has become synonymous with the World Cup. Her return is both nostalgic and symbolic.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entertainment analyst Bolanle Olukanni noted: \u201cThis lineup reflects the global nature of football. It\u2019s not just a sport, it\u2019s a cultural phenomenon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Shakira, Burna Boy, and a star-studded roster of performers, FIFA is betting on music to amplify the spectacle of the 2026 World Cup, promising fans a celebration that blends sport, culture, and global unity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MEXICO CITY \u2014 Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian Afrobeats sensation Burna Boy will headline the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, performing the tournament\u2019s official anthem Dai Dai at Estadio Azteca on June 11 before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa. FIFA described the song as \u201ca celebration of football\u2019s power […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":32602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,4,5,7],"tags":[15271,235,18443,18447,18446,18448,18450,18444,18449,18445],"class_list":["post-32601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-featured","category-international","category-sports","tag-afrobeats-global","tag-burna-boy","tag-dai-dai-anthem","tag-estadio-azteca","tag-fifa-2026","tag-j-balvin","tag-katy-perry","tag-shakira-world-cup","tag-tyla","tag-world-cup-opening-ceremony"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Shakira_Burna-Boy_Woeld-Cup.webp?fit=650%2C350&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32601"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32604,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32601\/revisions\/32604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}