Shakira and Burna Boy’s ‘Dai Dai’ Beats Davido's 'Hayya Hayya' to Be Crowned the Greatest World Cup Anthem of All Time

Shakira’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup has already produced some of the most memorable songs the tournament has ever seen. Now, the music icon has done it again.

According to the results of a major fan poll hosted by Billboard, 'Dai Dai', her 2026 World Cup collaboration with Grammy-winning Afrobeats star Burna Boy, has been crowned the greatest FIFA World Cup anthem of all time, a remarkable achievement given the competition it faced from some of football’s most beloved musical classics.

The result is particularly striking because it places 'Dai Dai; above songs that have defined entire generations of World Cup fans, including Shakira’s own legendary 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)' (2010), which has long been considered the gold standard of football anthems.

The final results revealed just how competitive the race was at the top.

While 'Dai Dai' by Shakira and Burna Boy claimed first place with 31.28% of the vote, Shakira’s own 'Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)', recorded with Freshlyground for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, finished a close second on 26.65%.

Just behind them was Ricky Martin’s iconic 1998 anthem 'Cup of Life (La Copa de la Vida)', which secured 24.73% of the vote and remains one of the most recognizable football songs ever recorded.

There was then a significant drop to fourth place, where Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Leitte’s 'Ole Ola (We Are One)' from the 2014 World Cup collected 8.01%.

Rounding out the top five was The Time of Our Lives by Il Divo and Toni Braxton, the official song of Germany 2006, with 3.96%.

Further down the rankings came Trinidad Cardona, Davido and Aisha’s Qatar 2022 anthem 'Hayya Hayya (Better Together)' on 1.88%, followed by Anastacia’s 'Boom' (2002) with 1.63% and Edoardo Bennato and Gianna Nannini’s beloved Italia ‘90 classic 'Un’estate Italiana' on 1.42%.

Completing the list were Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi’s 'Live It Up' from Russia 2018 with 0.26% and Daryl Hall’s 'Gloryland' from USA 1994 with 0.18%.

Perhaps the most remarkable takeaway was the dominance of the top three. Together, Dai Dai, Waka Waka and Cup of Life accounted for more than 82% of all votes cast, turning the contest into a heavyweight battle between three of the most iconic World Cup songs ever released.

Released as the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, 'Dai Dai' quickly became one of the tournament’s defining soundtracks. The track brought together two global music powerhouses in Shakira and Burna Boy, blending Latin influences with Afrobeats to create an anthem designed to reflect the international spirit of football’s biggest stage.

While World Cup songs often divide opinion, 'Dai Dai' received an overwhelmingly positive reception from supporters throughout the tournament, with many praising its energy, global appeal and ability to capture the atmosphere of the competition.

On YouTube, the visuals for the song have already surpassed 100 million views, just two weeks after its release while amassing more than 41 million streams on Spotify.

That support ultimately translated into victory when fans were asked to rank the greatest World Cup songs ever recorded.

For Shakira, the victory further cements her extraordinary legacy within World Cup culture.

The Colombian pop icon first became synonymous with football through 'Waka Waka' at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, a song that continues to generate hundreds of millions of streams and remains a fixture at football celebrations around the world.

Sixteen years later, she returned to the tournament stage alongside Burna Boy and once again found herself at the centre of the World Cup conversation.

For Burna Boy, the recognition represents another major milestone in a career that has helped push Afrobeats to unprecedented global heights. Becoming part of a World Cup anthem is an achievement in itself.

Seeing that song crowned the greatest in tournament history elevates it to an entirely different level. Whether every football fan agrees with the ranking is another debate entirely.

Shakira and Burna Boy are headlining the FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony in Mexico City. The superstar duo is set to debut the tournament's official anthem, 'Dai Dai,' live at the historic Estadio Azteca.

The historic opening ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, taking place roughly 90 minutes before the opening match between Mexico and South Africa.