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This year’s historic FIFA World Cup is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and kicks off on June 11. 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. This is the inaugural year that the tournament will have a first-time halftime show co-headlined by Shakira, Madonna and BTS. The FIFA World Cup final halftime show will be held on July 19, 2026 at the MetLife Stadium (referred officially as New York New Jersey Stadium) in New Jersey. Part of the global music line up who will perform synchronized across the Americas are J Balvin, Maná, Belinda, Alejandro Fernández, Anitta, Danny Ocean, and Lila Downs.
But did you know Latinos have been part of the World Cup's magic for generations? Whether scoring goals on the field or creating the soundtrack from the stage, we've helped define the world's biggest sporting event!
Shakira's Long Legacy with the World Cup
Who is singing the FIFA World Cup 2026 song? Shakira needs no introduction, especially when it comes to her World Cup performances. If you’re new to the fútbol scene, you’d probably know her latest hit “Dai Dai” alongside the Nigerian singer Burna Boy and in the video, viral African dance troupe the Ghetto Boys which are scheduled to perform at the Halftime show. This catchy fusion of reggaeton and afrobeat has been breaking the music charts apparently having reached 8.2 million listens on YouTube in just 24 hours, and it’s a #1 song to this day (when we wrote this article). Shakira’s royalty earnings from this hit will go to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, to support global children’s education and sports programs. Despite the success, this isn’t Shakira’s most famous chart topper. In 2010, she made history with her single “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”, which samples “Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)” by Golden Sounds. Released both in English and Spanish, the hit broke a Guinness World Record for the most-streamed FIFA World Cup song on Spotify. Although the song featured the South African band Freshlyground, the public was disappointed that FIFA hadn’t chosen a native artist to perform at the World Cup.
Finally, did you know Shakira performed “Hips Don’t Lie” in Germany during the 2006 FIFA tournament? It made the whole world dance!
Ricky Martin and the Anthem That Changed Everything
Every Latino lost their minds when they saw Ricky at Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, but this Boricua isn’t new to the sports scene. In 1998, France was chosen to host the World Cup and needed a major hit to make some noise. Ricky Martin answered the call with his single “La Copa de la Vida” (“The Life’s Cup”). Originally written in English by Desmond Child (author of“Angel”, by Aerosmith) and Robi Draco Rosa, the track sold more than 8 million copies and reached the top of Billboard’s Latin charts.
Sixteen years later, Ricky Martin was summoned once more to sing the unofficial single “La Copa de la Vida” during the Brazil World Cup. By the way, his performance of "La Copa de la Vida" at the 1999 Grammy Awards is widely credited with helping launch the Latin pop explosion in the United States. Martin, as a sports fan has shown his support for the Argentinian national team and for Boca Juniors, one of the country’s biggest clubs!
Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Brazil's Official World Cup Song
Speaking of Brazil, this country also had the honor to host both the World Cup and three amazing Latino artists: Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, and Claudia Leitte, one of the country’s biggest stars. This trio joined forces to create the official track “We Are One (Ole Ola)”. This global hit combined two languages and two styles (rapping and singing) to make it to the top of the charts in no time.
Apart from the studio version, the artists reunited to do a live performance during the opening ceremony at the Corinthians Arena Stadium in São Paulo.
Nicky Jam Brings Latin Music to Russia 2018
In 2018, the Russia World Cup featured the Latino singer Nicky Jam next to Will Smith and Era Istrefi. The three of them performed the official song “Live It Up", which represented the union of three continents celebrating fútbol as a sport.
The single included a few verses in Spanish: Ya empezó la rumba y estamos celebrando. Todo el mundo que me levante la mano. Estamos vivos, hay que disfrutarlo. Hoy nadie me detiene porque yo no sé parar (“The party’s already started, and we’re celebrating. Everyone, raise your hands. We’re alive—let’s enjoy it. No one can stop me today because I don’t know how to stop”).
Maluma and the Debate Around Qatar 2022
Finally, Maluma’s participation in the Qatar World Cup sparked some major controversy across the globe. In 2022, he released the tournament anthem “Tukoh Taka”, alongside Nicky Minaj and Myriam Fares. However, when the time came, he didn’t perform during the opening ceremony, but at the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha.
Due to the country’s civil rights violations, many other artists rejected the invitation to be the face of the tournament, including Shakira, Dua Lipa, and Rod Stewart, but Maluma agreed. Then, when an Israeli journalist questioned him about it, he replied that he had only gone to “enjoy life” and walked out of the interview, which earned him a wave of criticism and memes on social media.
Why Latin Music Remains Essential to the World Cup Experience
What these live performances tell us is that Latinos have been a fundamental part of the World Cup, both inside and outside the field, and will continue to be so. Now that the USA will host the tournament with Canada and Mexico, many Latino kids across the country will get to see their role models up close and get in touch with their culture, as fútbol is one of the biggest sports in the Latin American way of life.
Resumen en español
El artículo repasa la historia de los artistas latinoamericanos en los mundiales de fútbol. Desde Ricky Martin hasta Jennifer Lopez, la música latina ha sido parte fundamental del evento deportivo más importante del mundo. Además, con el mundial llegando a Estados Unidos junto a Canadá y México, esta edición será especial: Shakira encabezará el primer Halftime Show de la historia del torneo, y otros artistas como J Balvin, Maná y Anitta actuarán en ceremonias regionales.
