Shakira and Burna Boy release FIFA World Cup anthem Dai Dai

FIFA has used Shakira and Burna Boy to put a global stamp on its latest World Cup campaign, releasing Dai Dai as the official song for the 2026 tournament and tying it directly to education funding and the event’s expanding entertainment machine. The track arrived on major streaming platforms through Sony Music Latin, giving FIFA a pop-heavy lead-in a month before the World Cup opens.

The song is built as a cross-continental collaboration, mixing Afrobeats and Latin rhythms in a multilingual format designed for a worldwide audience. Shakira and Burna Boy trade verses and weave in references to the tournament’s reach, including Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Korea and the Netherlands. Shakira previewed the song with a clip filmed at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where she sang, “Here in this place / You belong.” The teaser fit a familiar World Cup formula: a chant-like hook, a stadium setting and a star with enough recognition to travel across markets.

But FIFA has also turned the release into a funding vehicle. Royalties from Dai Dai will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, Shakira’s royalties will be donated to the fund and Sony Music will match the first $250,000 raised. FIFA and Global Citizen say the fund is aiming to raise $100 million to expand access to education and soccer for children, and FIFA said more than $30 million had already been raised. The first round of grants is set at up to $250,000 for grassroots organizations across more than 200 countries.

The music push does not stop with the anthem. FIFA said the first-ever World Cup final halftime show will take place July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with Shakira, Madonna and BTS set to headline a performance curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. FIFA said $1 from every ticket sold to World Cup matches will go to social projects worldwide, underscoring how tightly the governing body has linked the tournament’s image to philanthropy and entertainment.

The strategy reflects a broader shift in how FIFA packages the event. Through FIFA Sound and an official album rollout that began with Lighter by Jelly Roll and Carín León, the organization is treating music as part of the tournament’s brand architecture, not just a promotional add-on. That matters because the 2026 World Cup begins June 11, when Mexico faces South Africa at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, and ends July 19. Shakira’s return to the World Cup anthem stage, following Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) in 2010, shows FIFA still believes a hit song can amplify the sport’s reach well beyond the stadium.