The World Cup has officially entered its elimination stages— and as the tournament heats up, so has its official theme. “Dai Dai,” by Colombian pop icon Shakira and Nigerian crossover star Burna Boy, tops the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart this week, up six spots from No. 7 for its first frame in pole position.
The globe-trotting hit has also started to make inroads in the U.S., climbing one spot to No. 74 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. The song is Shakira’s second World Cup collab to make a notable chart impact, following her Freshlyground-featuring 2010 anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa),” which reached No. 38 on the Hot 100.
To which of the two artists does the new song’s success mean more? And will it eventually become a major hit in the U.S. as well as abroad? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. “Dai Dai” reaches No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S. this week. Is the song’s growing success mostly just a reflection of the World Cup action heating up, or do you think the song is connecting beyond that?
Cata Balzano: I do believe that “Dai Dai’ reaching No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S. is a reflection of the World Cup fever more than anything else. As the World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, anything associated with it — especially the official song — will naturally gain massive global exposure. Between streaming, social media clips from the matches, fan-generated content, and stadium moments where attendees use the song as the soundtrack to their experiences, its popularity right now isn’t surprising.
That said, there’s another factor we can’t ignore: one of the biggest Latin artists of our generation is behind the song. Shakira has built a reputation for delivering World Cup anthems that go beyond the tournament itself. Time and again, her songs become inseparable from the event, which is why fans still embrace them long after the tournament ends. We must also factor in the buzz around the FIFA World Cup Final halftime show, where she and Burna Boy will be performing “Dai Dai.” Like the boost in streams artists get before and after they perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, the World Cup stage creates a comparable bump worldwide.
Kyle Denis: I thinkit’sprobably stillthe former over the latter; “DaiDai” has a biggerplatform than 95% of songs out right now.Nevertheless, I have begun to hear this in non-footballcontexts, soit’sbeginning to resonate outside of World Cup festivities.
Lyndsey Havens: I think it’s a perfect storm of both. One of the most prominent parts of the World Cup is the global camaraderie that comes with it, so it makes total sense that one song would emerge as the soundtrack to all that excitement and anticipation and community.The fact that “Dai Dai” is a generally great song with a universal message of persistence and strength only sweetens the deal; the collaboration between Shakira and Burna Boy feels natural enough that it would work as a single even outside of being an official sports game anthem, which was likely thegoalall along.
Isabela Raygoza: A huge part of that is simply Shakira. She isn’t just another artist attached to a FIFA campaign — she’s someone audiences already associate with the World Cup on a near-mythic level. Then there’s the global design of the record itself. Pairing Shakira with Burna Boy broadens the song’s reach in a way that feels organic rather than overly strategic. His presence adds Afro-fusion texture and another layer of international pull. Add in the music video’s football idol appearances (Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, etc.), and the song starts to feel like something that can likely live past the final whistle.
Andrew Unterberger: Obviously the World Cup is a main thing, but there have been numerous World Cup anthems from big-name artists that haven’t majorly connected on a Billboard level. The song still has to be good, and to feel right —and it’s a win on both counts for “Dai Dai.”
2. Does the success of the song mean more for Burna Boy or Shakira?
Cata Balzano: For Shakira, it’s another reminder that she has mastered the art of creating World Cup anthems. Not only has she charted consistently throughout her career, but when she records a song for a global event, it also becomes a chart-topping hit. That’s an indicator of her longevity and cultural star power, especially since she is the artist with the most World Cup theme songs in the tournament’s history. For Burna Boy, this marks an important new phase in his career as an artist. It’s his first official FIFA World Cup song, and it introduces his sound to an even larger audience globally. The track leans heavily into Afro-fusion beats, allowing the Nigerian star to bring African rhythms and musical traditions to the forefront of one of the world’s biggest sporting events. From a representation standpoint, that’s incredibly significant.
Kyle Denis: Definitely Burna Boy. Shakira’s been doing fine recently between her stadium-packing Las Mujeres Ya NoLloranWorld Tour and her Copacabana show that drew over two million people. Burna, on the other hand,is coming off a tepidly received album (last year’sNo Sign of Weaknesshit No. 200 on the Billboard 200) and the controversy around hisrefusing to continue a show after catching a fan falling asleep (he laterapologized).In fact, Shakira was just on the Hot 100 earlier this year with “Zoo” (No. 73), while “DaiDai” is Burna Boy’s first appearance on the chart since 2023.
Lyndsey Havens: For wildly different reasons, I think it’s holds equal weight for both. For Shakira, it’s proof she is this eternal hitmaker, and for Burna it’s proof he can hold his own in that same conversation. One could argue it’s a bigger opportunity for Burna, but it’s not really — he’s been at this for 15 years now with his own list of accolades and historic moments. I think because they’re coming at this collaboration from a level playing field, they only helped it hit harder.
Isabela Raygoza: I’d say it means more for Shakira in terms of legacy, even if it’s enormously valuable for both artists. For Burna Boy, huge. It gives him a place inside one of the largest global entertainment stages imaginable and exposes his sound to audiences that may not otherwise engage with Afro-fusion in a direct way.
But for Shakira, “Dai Dai” lands on a different level because it reinforces a narrative that was already forming and now feels almost undeniable: she is the defining World Cup pop superstar of her generation. It adds another chapter to a catalog that already includes songs deeply tied to the tournament’s emotional history. Whether you want to count “Hips Don’t Lie/Bamboo,” “Waka Waka,” “La La La,” or now “Dai Dai,” the broader point is that Shakira has become one of the few artists whose name is permanently embedded in FIFA memory. That’s bigger than chart success — it speaks to her longevity and cultural imprint.
Andrew Unterberger: In the short-term it may be a bigger win for Burna Boy, but long-term it has to be Shakira. If she wasn’t already, she’s now unquestionably the Queen of the World Cup now from a musical perspective — maybe just the Queen of Fútbol in general —which is something that could provide perennial dividends for her, á la Mariah Carey and the holidays.
3. “Dai Dai” is obviously a global smash, but on the Hot 100, it’s still reached only No. 74. Do you think it will end up growing into a major hit stateside as well, or will it remain more of a fringe hit here?
Cata Balzano: I expect the song to remain on the Hot 100 throughout the tournament because it has served as the soundtrack for so many fans’ World Cup experiences. However, if it hasn’t broken into the upper tier of the chart by now, it’s unlikely to see a dramatic jump in the U.S. market. That said, streams will most certainly continue to grow as the tournament moves to its final phase and beyond. The World Cup final and Madonna, BTS and Shakira’s halftime performance could give the song a significant boost, both domestically and internationally, even after the tournament has ended.
Kyle Denis: We still have some time until the Closing Ceremony, soI’msure“DaiDai” will continue growing. I don’t think it will become a smash that spends weeks in the chart’s uppermost reaches — I expect thissummer to have a smattering of different niche-defining songs — but I’d be surprised if it didn’t at least have a healthy lifespan within the Hot 100’s top 40.
Lyndsey Havens: I think it will remain a fringe hit here, and I’m good with that. The power of the song is in its global appeal and to see that reflected atop our global chart is proof it delivered exactly as intended.
Isabela Raygoza: I think it’s more likely to remain significantly bigger globally than in the U.S., and that’s not really a weakness of the song — it’s a reflection of what kind of hit it is. The Hot 100 is a U.S.-only chart, while Global Excl. U.S. is better suited to measure a song like this, since “Dai Dai” is tied to a global sporting event and powered by two artists with massive international audiences. That gap between the charts kind of tells the story: its appeal is broader than the U.S. market.
That said, I wouldn’t rule out more stateside growth, especially with the final approaching and so much star power surrounding this World Cup — from Shakira, Burna Boy, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and BTS to other major artists releasing tournament-related songs. But if we’re talking about whether “Dai Dai” becomes a dominant U.S. hit, I’m less convinced. My instinct is that it may climb modestly, but its real story is international.
Andrew Unterberger: I think that it could continue to climb —particularly if the U.S. continues to excel, and if the tournament stays spicy in general. I doubt it’ll really ever reach escape velocity to the point where it keeps growing independently of the tournament, but a top 40 berth in the final weeks certainly isn’t out of the question.
4. Do you see any other songs released for (or associated with) this World Cup continuing to grow into notable hits over the course of the tournament, or will “Dai Dai” remain the clear leader there?
Cata Balzano: I think “Dai Dai” will remain the clear standout. I listened to the entire FIFA World Cup album while covering its release, and none of the other tracks have achieved the same level of visibility or cultural association with the tournament. “Dai Dai” is the song fans immediately associate with the tournament. It’s the track that’s consistently used in reels, videos, stadium content and social media posts, making it the defining musical anthem of this edition of the tournament.
Kyle Denis: Given that most of these songsaren’tgreat, I think “DaiDai”remainsthe clear leader here.
Lyndsey Havens: There have beenso manysongs released for or in association with the World Cup, many of them great. But I think “Dai Dai” will remain the clear leader — in part because there are so many other options. This song has already emerged as the clear frontrunner favorite, and I don’t see that changing.
Isabela Raygoza: Right now, I think “Dai Dai” remains the clear leader, both commercially and culturally. There are other songs in the 2026 World Cup orbit that have potential. “Jump” has a built-in familiarity because of the Van Halen sample, plus J Balvin, Travis Barker and Steve Vai give it a stadium-ready punch that makes sense for a tournament this big. And now with Madonna and Feid entering the conversation with “Read My Lips,” there’s another late-stage contender that could generate attention because of sheer star power and novelty. But even with all that, “Dai Dai” still feels like the song that has already won the emotional branding war. It’s the one most closely fused with the tournament in people’s minds. That matters more than being on an official album or having a famous feature.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s probably “Dai Dai,” but don’t disregard another entry from the if-Team-USA-keeps-winning file: John Denver’s early-’70s country classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The song is really starting to catch on with U.S. audiences as the team’s official-unofficial anthem, and if they get another big W or two in the elimination stages, it could take over in a huge way. Wouldn’t be the first time, certainly.
5. What is yourall-timefavorite World Cup-associated song?
Cata Balzano: For me, Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” is an all-time favorite — although Ricky Martin’s “The Cup of Life” comes in a close second. “Waka Waka” perfectly conveyed the spirit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Its exciting rhythm, fun lyrics and iconic choreography made it much more than a World Cup anthem for me, especially because I still enjoy listening to it. It became a global cultural phenomenon, and this was before social media was around to help promote or viralize a song. More than 15 years later, it’s still the benchmark for what a World Cup song should be.
Kyle Denis: It willalwaysbe “WakaWaka.” We should have stopped commissioning newanthemsafter that one!
Lyndsey Havens: Another Shakira banger, “Waka Waka.”
Isabela Raygoza: For me, it’s still “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”, with “The Cup of Life” by Ricky Martin and Pablo Flores as a close second. “Waka Waka” just feels inseparable from the energy of the World Cup — celebratory, unifying and instantly memorable. That said, “The Cup of Life” remains iconic for how explosive and defining it was in shaping a modern World Cup anthem.
Andrew Unterberger: I’ll go a little off the board and say New Order’s “World in Motion,” an irresistibly goofy 1990 singalong timed to the U.K.’s surprise rebound on the global stage. Also a top five Alternative Airplay hit in its day!
