The official promotional artwork for the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai,” a historic cross-cultural track by Shakira and Afrobeats icon Burna Boy. Photo Credit: Shakira/Instagram
The wait is over. Nigerian Afrobeats icon Burna Boy and Colombian superstar Shakira have released “Dai Dai,” the official FIFA World Cup 2026 song. It is Burna Boy’s first time on an official FIFA World Cup anthem, and Shakira’s second — her first being the iconic Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) from the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
“Dai Dai” is a nearly four-minute track blends Afrobeats, dance-pop, and reggaetón into a chorus that rallies in five languages — Japanese, Spanish, French, English, and Italian — with the words “Dai, dai, ikou, dale, allez, let’s go.” Lyrically, it is a love letter to football and the people who play it. Shakira opens with “You knew from the day you were born, that here in this place you belong,” while Burna follows with “Go follow your desire, where there’s a will there’s a way.” The pair also shout out the legends — Maradona, Maldini, Ronaldo, Beckham, Kaká, and Messi — as well as participating countries including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, the United States, and the Netherlands.
Royalties from “Dai Dai” will go towards the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which is targeting $100 million by the end of the tournament to provide children across the world with access to quality education and football.
Shakira on set for the “Dai Dai” official music video, celebrating her historic return to the global football tournament stage. Photo Credit: Shakira/Instagram
Africa’s presence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup goes well beyond the official anthem. A record 10 African teams have qualified for this tournament — Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, South Africa, and DR Congo. On the performance side, Tyla and Rema will also perform at the US opening ceremony at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on 12 June alongside Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, and LISA.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on 11 June at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and wraps on 19 July at the New York New Jersey Stadium, where Shakira will co-headline the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show alongside Madonna and BTS. Dai Dai will almost certainly soundtrack all of it.
Listen to “Dai Dai” below
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