Shakira has released the official video for the anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup - "Dai Dai" - and pulled off something the world didn't expect: she gathered Messi, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Harry Kane, Luis Díaz, Jamal Musiala and Erling Haaland into a single production, alongside collaborator Burna Boy.

The video is ambitious. It moves between icons and stadiums - the Maracanã in Brazil, the "Angel of Independence" monument in Mexico City, African landscapes with baobab trees. There's a segment with the young dancers from the Triplets Ghetto Kids foundation in Uganda, and tribute to the legends of football - Pelé, Maradona, Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Shakira isn't new to this role. In 2010 she performed "Waka Waka," one of the most-played sports anthems of all time. In 2014 came "La La La." 12 years later, she returns to the role of the most successful global star for football events. And this time she isn't alone on stage: she'll appear in the halftime show of the final on 19 July at the "MetLife Stadium" in New Jersey, alongside Madonna and BTS.

This year's World Cup is held jointly by the US, Mexico and Canada, with 48 participants instead of the previous 32. A bigger tournament, more host countries, a bigger commercial industry. Shakira is the face that ties all these political and logistical complexities into a single unifying experience - music as a coherent expression. That's what makes the video more than a marketing product.