Shakira personally contacted Ed Sheeran to ask if he would be interested in collaborating on the new FIFA World Cup anthem.
The Colombian superstar and Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy dropped Dai Dai in May – the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Reflecting on the process of creating another anthem for the football spectacle in an interview for Vogue published on Sunday, Shakira recounted how she instantly knew Ed would be the perfect person to call upon.
“(I) called Ed Sheeran and asked if he wanted to write it with me,” she recalled to the outlet. “He said that writing something for the world would be his dream… We work really well together, we understand each other. I wanted (the song to be) a fusion of different elements. I wanted to bring in Afrobeat flavours, flavours from the Caribbean, guitars… the cherry on top was Burna Boy. I just love his voice.”
Ed has a songwriting credit on the track, along with producer Alexander Castillo.
Dai Dai isn’t the first time Shakira has recorded a song for the FIFA World Cup.
She performed Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) for the 2010 event and Dare (La La La) for the 2014 competition.
“When I’m about to tackle this task of writing a song for the World Cup, I understand what people really need in order to live in a moment to the fullest,” the 49-year-old explained. “It’s a good rhythm, a good beat, but also a powerful message.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Shakira praised the sport for bringing people together.
“If I know something, it’s this: music and football move the masses,” she added. “Each awakens passion in people. The passion is the commonality.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by 16 cities – 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The event will kick off on 11 June, with three opening ceremonies – one from each of the hosts.
Shakira will also serve as one of the co-headliners, alongside Madonna and BTS, at the FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show on 19 July.
