"History": Shakira reveals expectations for show at the World Cup final
Singer Shakira, 49, revealed what her expectations are for the halftime show of the 2026 World Cup final. She will perform alongside big names in pop music, such as Madonna, BTS and Canadian Justin Bieber, announced last week. In an interview with The Capital Evening Show with Jimmy Hill, she said she believes the show will be "historic".
"I played at the opening ceremony and now I'm going to play at the final," said Shakira, referring to her performance at the opening of the tournament. "I need to take this in and do something a little different than what I did." She took the stage at the Azteca Stadium alongside Burna Boy, the duo that released the official song for the 2026 World Cup, the hit "Dai Dai". Also performing before Mexico's game against South Africa were Belinda, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla.
She praised the curation of Coldplay singer Chris Martin, who collaborated with FIFA to organize the performances at the start and end of the World Cup. Shakira added that she hopes the singer will also perform, in addition to acting behind the scenes.
"It will be a shared halftime show. It will be something historic: five incredible artists. Well, four incredible artists and me", joked the Colombian.
Shakira's career and the World Cups share common stories. After debuting with "Waka Waka", a hit from the event in South Africa that conquered the world, she has already spoken about her special relationship with the world championship. "I have this connection with football that seems unbreakable", she commented in an interview with People magazine, when she was announced as an attraction for the 2026 edition.
She concluded by praising the energy of the event and her expectations for the World Cup hosted in the United States, Canada and Mexico. "Every World Cup is truly magical, and I think this one will be marked, above all, by bringing people together at this very delicate moment, socially and politically."
Shakira breaks record by reaching 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
Recently, it surpassed the 100 million monthly listeners mark on Spotify in July, according to data from the platform itself. With this number, the Colombian becomes the first female and Colombian artist to achieve this feat.
The success marked Shakira's return to the event as a main attraction, after successful performances in recent months. The song was also in second place on the Spotify global chart last weekend, and reached the top of the platform on the 30th.
In addition to monthly listeners, according to data from ChartMasters, the artist accumulates 100,415,993 monthly listeners, positioning her as the eighth most listened to among all artists on the platform, alongside names like Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber. His most recent album, "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" (2024), was the most listened to album of the year in the first 24 hours on Spotify and won the Grammy for Best Latin Album.
Hips Don't Lie, "Waka Waka" and "La Tortura": remember Shakira's hits
Source: CNN