With the championship game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup almost a week away, I think it’s about time to take a closer look at the official anthem: “Dai Dai” by Shakira and Burna Boy. Described by Newsweek as, “A massive, rhythm‑driven anthem that fuses Shakira’s unmistakable flair with Burna Boy’s Afrofusion mastery,” “Dai Dai” has all the makings of a classic on par with Shakira’s previous 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa).”
“Dai Dai” is also being used as a charitable venture. Shakira’s royalties are being directed to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund with the goal of, as the official FIFA website puts it, to “raise USD 100 million by the end of the tournament to provide children around the world with access to quality education and football opportunities.”
The Music Behind “Dai Dai”
“Dai Dai” definitely leans heavily into Burna Boy’s Afrobeats roots. As stated by Billboard: “the nearly four-minute track seamlessly blends both musical worlds, bringing to life a catchy tune powered by Afrobeats, dance-pop, world beats, and reggaetón.” While a lot of the song is sung in a lower range, the distinctive drums keep the energy moving throughout, and the minor key (C-sharp minor) creates a feeling of anticipation and drama, perfect for a tournament as big as the FIFA World Cup. The chord progression: C-sharp minor, A major, B major, then back to A major, doesn’t change throughout the whole song. However, the chord progression doesn’t need to be complex to deliver what the song was aiming for. An anthem like this needs to be memorable and (perhaps most importantly) endlessly loopable for broadcasts, which this song is able to do without feeling overplayed or repetitive.
The lyrics are mostly sung in English, but there is some Spanish used throughout. Notably ending the choruses with: “Dale / No olvide’ lo que vales / Juega como tu sabes / Como tu sabe'” which roughly translates to “Come on / don’t forget what you’re worth / play as you know.” The lyrics also name-drop a few soccer celebrities like Messi, Ronaldo, Salah, Mbappé, and others who will be competing (or have sadly already lost) in this year’s World Cup.
This year, FIFA has decided to get some more viewers by adding a World Cup Final Half-Time Show a la the Superbowl halftime show. Shakira will be co-headlining the event with Madonna, BTS, and Justin Bieber. All headliners have refused to take a performance fee to further support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. Personally, I’m excited to tune in for the World Cup championship match on July 19th, 2026. Not only to see who will come out victorious, but to see what will surely be a fantastic half-time show.
