Shakira's Bringing A Historic Change To FIFA's 2026 World Cup

As if the FIFA World Cup wasn’t a big enough event on its own, this year, it’s adding another level of spectacle. Starting June 11, 48 teams from around the globe will come together to compete in 104 can’t-miss matches across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. When the top two teams face off in the final game at New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium, they’ll participate in one of America’s oldest, proudest traditions: a star-studded halftime show.

For the first time in World Cup history, the final match will feature a Super Bowl-style halftime performance, put on in collaboration with the anti-poverty nonprofit Global Citizen. It will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, with the goal of raising $100 million to help children around the world access education and soccer.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin curated the show, and in a video released on May 14, was accompanied by Elmo and a few other Muppets to announce the lineup, which will feature Madonna, BTS, and Shakira.

Also on May 14, Shakira joined former Brazilian soccer star Kaká, Global Citizen founder Hugh Evans, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Global Citizen NOW Summit at Spring Studios in New York to talk about the upcoming show, and share more about how the 2026 World Cup plans to tackle poverty head-on.

Making Change With Music

For the past five years, Global Citizen NOW: NYC has brought together leaders in government, policy, advocacy, business, entertainment, and philanthropy to delve into global issues such as education, food security, energy, and global health. This year, stars including Adam Lambert, Hugh Jackman, and Sophia Bush came together for the event, which was capped off by the World Cup panel.

This year, Shakira will not only participate in the halftime performance, but she will also lend her voice to the official song of the World Cup, “Dai Dai” featuring Burna Boy. (The Italian phrase means “come on, come on,” and the chorus features similar translations in several languages, including “let’s go.”)

This is the second time Shakira will perform the World Cup anthem, with the first being the iconic “Waka Waka” in 2010.

The biggest reveal on the panel was not about the song itself, but what it could do. Onstage, the singer announced that 100% of the profits from “Dai Dai” would go towards the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, as well as one dollar from every ticket sold to her 2026 US tour.

“All of the sectors of society have to come together for our kids and to put them at the center of the discussion to make sure that they are everyone's priority — here, in Rio, in Uganda, in Mumbai, in Mexico,” the singer said. “These are very troubled times, and it's important that we all come together to remember, and to remind everyone, how important our kids are and their education.”

Philanthropy In Action In NYC

In addition to the funds raised via Shakira’s tour and “Dai Dai” streams, $1 from every ticket sold to the World Cup will go towards the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

During the panel, Evans announced that FIFA and Global Citizen had raised $47 million for the Education Fund already — meaning that the organizations are nearly halfway to their goal.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite the whole world at once behind this mission of educating millions of children all over the world, bringing together sports and music at the most incredible moment, that will be the most-watched event in history — not just the most-watched halftime event, but the most-watched event in history,” Evans said. (In 2022, the World Cup final drew 1.5 billion viewers, up from 1.12 billion in 2018.) “This is that moment where we can change the world together.”