The Unbreakable Bond: Shakira Reveals How the FIFA World Cup Shaped Her Career and Gave Her the ‘Best Thing’ in Her Life

Shakira is opening up about why the FIFA World Cup has become such a defining part of both her career and personal life.

In an era when music and sports constantly intersect, few global icons have managed to weave their legacy so deeply into the fabric of a single sporting event as the Colombian superstar has.

For over two decades, the singer has provided the definitive soundtrack to football’s ultimate tournament, transforming her from a mere performer into an unofficial symbol of the beautiful game itself.

Speaking exclusively to People, the multi-Grammy winner looked back at her extraordinary history with the tournament, confessing that her lifelong connection to soccer feels less like a series of business contracts and more like a cosmic arrangement.

Across multiple generations of fans, her voice has been the one that unites stadium crowds, making her synonymous with the global passion that drives the sport.

“It’s crazy that I have this connection with [soccer] that seems unbreakable,” Shakira told the magazine, reflecting on how her career keeps circling back to the pitch.

According to the 49-year-old singer, the historic relationship all began back in 2006, when she took the stage to perform her smash hit “Hips Don’t Lie” alongside Wyclef Jean during the FIFA World Cup festivities in Germany.

That initial taste of the tournament’s electric energy set the stage for a much larger moment just four years later.

In 2010, she returned to the global stage with what would go on to solidify her status in sports history: “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” a track that quickly rose to become one of the most commercially successful and universally recognized World Cup anthems of all time.

From Anthems to Motherhood: The Birth of the ‘Waka Kids’

For Shakira, the true significance of “Waka Waka” extends far beyond chart-topping success, streaming milestones, or stadium choreography.

The track serves as a distinct marker for the moment her personal life shifted forever, grounding her connection to the World Cup in profound emotional territory.

It was during the production and promotion of that iconic 2010 anthem that she crossed paths with former partner Gerard Piqué, who was competing as a star defender for the Spanish national team.

The tournament became the backdrop for a high-profile romance that would ultimately shape the next decade of her life.

The couple eventually welcomed two sons, Milan and Sasha, whom the singer still affectionately refers to as her “Waka kids” because of the unique circumstances of their parents’ meeting.

“That song took me to the World Cup, and the World Cup had an important impact in my life,” she shared during her interview with People. “And they were born, the best thing that has happened to me.”

The intersection of her family life and her football legacy continued to play out publicly during the subsequent tournament cycle.

When she was called back to the global stage in 2014 to perform “La La La (Brazil 2014)” at the closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, she was secretly carrying a major milestone with her onto the pitch.

Looking back at the footage, Shakira recalled the humor of trying to hide a very early pregnancy while performing high-energy choreography under the watchful eyes of millions of viewers worldwide.

“In 2014, I was pregnant with Sasha, with my little one, and my fans … they’re like, ‘Shakira’s pregnant,’” she joked to the magazine, remembering how quickly her dedicated fanbase picked up on the subtle physical changes. “I was like a month pregnant.”

Making History in 2026 With Burna Boy and a Bold New Frontier

Now, Shakira is preparing to take the world stage and make history once again, reinforcing her status as the undisputed queen of international football anthems.

Her latest musical venture has already seen her dominate the airwaves alongside one of the biggest names in modern music.

Having recorded the official 2026 World Cup track, “Dai Dai,” alongside Nigeria’s Afrobeat megastar Burna Boy, she officially kicked off the tournament with a high-octane performance during the opening ceremony, bringing a fresh, contemporary rhythm to the historic competition.

The collaboration with Burna Boy represents a deliberate effort to blend diverse cultural sounds, a hallmark of Shakira’s long-standing musical philosophy.

By pairing her signature Latin pop energy with contemporary African rhythms, “Dai Dai” continues the tradition of global unity that “Waka Waka” established more than a decade prior.

The track has already resonated deeply with fans, setting a vibrant tone for a historic tournament hosted across North America. Yet, her contributions to this cycle are far from over, as soccer’s governing body prepares to unveil an entirely unprecedented entertainment format for the final matches.

The Historic Super Bowl-Style Final Halftime Show

The biggest milestone of Shakira’s current World Cup chapter is still to come, as she prepares to anchor a massive entertainment shift for the sport.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, FIFA has partnered with Global Citizen to introduce a massive, Super Bowl-style halftime show during the tournament’s final match.

Scheduled for July 19, 2026, at the New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium), the unprecedented event is set to break a decades-old tradition of quiet 15-minute mid-game intervals.

The star-studded lineup for this historic performance is nothing short of monumental. Shakira will share the co-headlining marquee with pop royalty Madonna and K-pop megastars BTS, in a performance curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin and produced by Global Citizen to support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

During a recent appearance at the Global Citizen NOW conference in New York, the pop icon spoke passionately about how this performance bridges her artistic career with her extensive philanthropic efforts through her Barefoot Foundation, emphasizing the massive stakes of the event.

“I’ve spent my life doing two things, making songs and building schools. At the FIFA World Cup, those two paths come together,” Shakira explained.

“Standing alongside Madonna and BTS, I’ll be performing ‘Dai Dai’, the song I created for this World Cup and for the kids around the world we will reach with the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.”

This sentiment was echoed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who expressed his immense pride in bringing such a heavyweight cultural moment to the sporting world.

Infantino noted that the show is intended to highlight a greater humanitarian purpose, stating that it will be “a celebration of football, unity and shared humanity that will resonate far beyond the final whistle.”

As for why her path continuously and inevitably crosses with football’s grandest stage, the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer didn’t point to marketing strategy, meticulous planning, or executive decisions.

Instead, she offered a single, poetic word to explain the twenty-year journey that has intertwined her career, her family, and her art with the pitch.

“Fate.”

From her early days in Germany to the historic grounds of South Africa, through a secret pregnancy in Brazil, and straight into the record-breaking arenas of 2026, Shakira’s relationship with the tournament remains an enduring pop culture phenomenon.

As she prepares to take the stage in front of a global television audience of billions this July, it is abundantly clear that her historic partnership with the beautiful game is far from its final whistle.