Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy and Colombian pop icon Shakira reunited during rehearsals ahead of their highly anticipated halftime performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. A viral video shared this weekend showed the duo preparing to deliver a massive global stage performance, further cementing Nigerian music’s international dominance.
The performance is one of the most high-profile slots in global entertainment, with an audience of hundreds of millions expected to watch the World Cup final. Burna Boy’s selection for the halftime show is a testament to his global appeal and the rise of Afrobeats as a dominant force in popular music. He joins a select group of artists, including Shakira, who performed at the 2010 World Cup final.
This echoes the 2010 World Cup final performance by Shakira, which became one of the most-watched halftime shows in history. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a global stage for African music.
The winners: Burna Boy, who gains global exposure; Nigerian music, which gains further recognition; and Afrobeats fans, who have another reason to celebrate. The losers: the artists who were not selected; and the Nigerian government, which has not provided enough support for the music industry.
Bottom Line: Burna Boy and Shakira are performing at the World Cup final. Nigerian music is on the biggest stage. The question is whether the industry can sustain the momentum.