Shakira’s return to the FIFA World Cup stage has sparked a fierce debate among football fans after the Colombian superstar headlined the opening ceremony in Mexico City.
The 49-year-old singer performed the official tournament anthem Dai Dai alongside Nigerian artist Burna Boy before hosts Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the historic Estadio Azteca.
FIFA turned back to Shakira after her 2010 World Cup anthem Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) became one of the most successful songs in tournament history.
But while many fans welcomed her return, others were far less impressed.
Social media quickly lit up with divided reactions, with plenty of Aussies slamming the Latin legend for her performance.
‘Nothing against her. She is great … but there are other great artists in the world,’ one person wrote.
Global superstar Shakira (pictured) has drawn mixed reactions for her showing pre-tournament at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The 49-year-old (pictured) also performed at the 2010 World Cup
Mexico star Raul Jimenez (pictured left) featured in his side’s World Cup opener win
Others were more critical of both the singer and the ceremony itself.
‘Nothing against her. She is great …. but there are other great artists in the world,’ one viewer wrote.
‘The worst opening of a world cup,’ another claimed.
‘This song is not good and I’m tired of pretending that it’s good, honestly it’s just mid, not worthy of my ears,’ a third added.
Some directed their criticism at Shakira personally.
‘She’s old,’ one user posted.
‘When will Shakira retire? …it’s enough,’ another wrote.
One viewer questioned her appearance, asking: ‘Is Shakira wearing a mask or what?’
The renovated Azteca Stadium in Mexico became the first stadium to host three men’s World Cups
Mexican actress Salma Hayek helped introduce the second portion of the opening ceremony
A parade featuring all 48 competing nations followed the musical performances
Another fan compared the performance unfavourably to previous tournaments.
‘Epic? History repeats like 16 years ago but without soul.’
Others continued to show their support.
‘Queen Shakira,’ one fan wrote.
‘Let’s Go,’ another posted.
‘Queen of the FIFA World Cup,’ a third added.
The strongest criticism was reserved for FIFA’s production of the opening ceremony.
‘Love Shakira. But the entire production for this World Cup opening is one of the worst of all time,’ one viewer posted online.
The ceremony began with dancers wearing Indigenous dress before Mexican actress Salma Hayek introduced the second part of the show and presented the World Cup trophy to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
A parade featuring all 48 competing nations followed, including first-time qualifiers Jordan, Uzbekistan, Curaçao and Cape Verde.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli also performed before football finally took centre stage.
Mexico then capped off the celebrations by defeating South Africa 2-0 in a fiery opening match that featured three red cards.
The 2026 tournament is the first World Cup to feature 48 teams and is being co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.
