Shakira returns to official World Cup song duty, this time with Burna Boy

Music News Shakira returns to official World Cup song duty, this time with Burna Boy May 15, 20263:22 PM ET By  Rachel Treisman Shakira and Burna Boy collaborated on "Dai Dai." It's the Colombian star's fourth song associated with a World Cup, 16 years after she made a splash with "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)." AP hide caption toggle caption AP Shakira and Burna Boy, two of the biggest artists on the global stage, have joined forces for the official song of the 2026 World Cup. "Dai Dai," released on streaming platforms Friday, "captures the energy, passion and global spirit that will define the greatest show on earth," FIFA said in a statement, adding that royalties from the song will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. It aims to raise $100 million for children's education and soccer opportunities by the end of the tournament, which runs from June 11 through July 19. Sponsor Message Music Shakira, Madonna and BTS will headline World Cup final halftime show The song's title comes from the enthusiastic Italian expression meaning "come on, come on," and its lyrics include the English, Japanese, French and Spanish equivalents. The track blends Afrobeats with Latin Pop, sung mostly in English and a bit of Spanish. It's sprinkled with inspirational messages, references to famous soccer players ("Pelé, Maradona, Maldini, Romário, Cristiano Ronaldo") and the names of countries playing in this year's tournament ("Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, U.S., England, Germany, France"). "It has a lot of the typical signs of a good World Cup song," says Eduardo Herrera, an associate professor of ethnomusicology at Indiana University whose work focuses on soccer chants and fandoms. "But I think this is purposefully FIFA's effort to have a successful song by bringing in artists that they know [are] going to appeal to at least two large numbers of the population, the Latin population and the sub-Saharan African population." Tiny Desk Burna Boy: Tiny Desk Conc...