At the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Shakira will perform the song "Dai Dai", marking her fourth appearance at the premier football tournament, following 2006, 2010, and 2014. During the same period, Italy participated only three times: in 2006, 2010, and 2014.

This comparison is notable because 2006 was the recent peak of Italian football. At the World Cup in Germany, they defeated France 5-3 in a penalty shootout in the final to claim their fourth world title.

Shakira performs at the opening ceremony before the 2026 World Cup group A match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, 11/6. Photo: AP

While Italy lifted the trophy, Shakira made her first World Cup appearance. At the closing ceremony in Berlin, the Colombian singer performed a version of "Hips Don't Lie - Bamboo" with Wyclef Jean at the Olympic Stadium. Although not the official anthem of the tournament, it quickly became a memorable phenomenon at the 2006 World Cup.

Four years later, at South Africa 2010, Shakira reached new heights by performing "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)", the official World Cup song. The song, produced with the band Freshlyground, quickly became a global sensation. To date, it remains the most commercially successful and widespread World Cup song, attracting over 4,5 billion views on YouTube.

Shakira has attended more World Cups than Italy over the past 20 years. Photo: Mirror

In contrast to Shakira's success, Italy faced major disappointment at that tournament. The defending champions were eliminated in the group stage, finishing last in a group that included Paraguay, Slovakia, and New Zealand.

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil again saw Shakira become part of the festive atmosphere. She released "La La La (Brazil 2014)", a song associated with the tournament, which garnered hundreds of millions of views on online platforms. This marked Shakira's third consecutive World Cup with a prominent song.

Meanwhile, Italy continued to disappoint, exiting in the group stage for the second consecutive time. They lost to Costa Rica and Uruguay, returning home early alongside England.

Excerpt from Shakira's performance at the 2026 World Cup opening ceremony.

This was followed by an unprecedented decline for one of the world's most traditional footballing nations. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Four years later, they were again absent from the 2022 World Cup despite having won Euro 2020. By 2026, the team once more failed to qualify, even with the tournament expanded to 48 teams.

This series of failures makes Shakira's statistics particularly noteworthy. In 2026, the Colombian singer released "Dai Dai (Let's Go)", performed with Burna Boy. Shakira will perform this song at the opening ceremony at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

Hoang An