IT THIS THE NEXT 'WAKA WAKA'? SHAKIRA WITH BURNA BOY TEASES NEW FIFA WORLD CUP SONG | VIDEO

Colombian singer Shakira performs during a free concert at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 2, 2026. — AFP pic

LOS ANGELES, May 8 — Colombian pop idol Shakira on Thursday teased the new official song for the 2026 World Cup, releasing a brief video of the track filmed at Brazil’s iconic Maracana Stadium.

The singer – who also created the 2010 World Cup anthem “Waka Waka” – announced the song, titled “Dai Dai” in a post on her Instagram account.

In the 67-second video, Shakira appears on the pitch at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, where she performed in a free concert at the city’s Copacabana Beach last Saturday before two million people.

Holding the “Trionda”, the official match ball of the 2026 World Cup, Shakira performed excerpts of the song in English, joined by dancers dressed in the colors of teams including the United States and Colombia.

The song was produced with Nigerian artist Burna Boy and is set for official release on May 14. The clip, also shared by the Fifa World Cup account, ends with the message: “We’re ready!”

Shakira has a long association with the World Cup, performing at the 2006 and 2014 World Cup finals in addition to producing “Waka Waka” for the 2010 tournament. — AFP

ARGENTINA HAND BRAZIL THIRD STRAIGHT LOSS AFTER CROWD TROUBLE AT MARACANA

Reuters 

Nicolas Otamendi scored with a towering header to give Argentina a 1-0 away win over Brazil in a bad-tempered World Cup qualifier that was delayed by half an hour on Tuesday after police clashed with fans at a sold-out Maracana Stadium.

The longstanding sporting rivalry between two of the most successful teams in world soccer hit fever pitch after the Brazilian police charged Argentinian fans in response to fighting in the stands during the national anthems.

The world champions, led by captain Lionel Messi, went over to the terraces to try and calm the situation before leaving the pitch and returning to the dressing room for more than 10 minutes.

The players eventually returned and the match started in a tumult of noise as local fans roared their support of the five-times world champions, who were looking to get their campaign back on track after losing successive qualifiers for the first time.

Instead, Brazil plunged to a third straight defeat and first ever at home loss in a World Cup qualifier to stand sixth in the standings, eight points behind leaders Argentina and in the last spot that guarantees a berth at the 2026 finals.

RIO GOVERNMENT NAMES ANTI-RACISM LAW APFTER VINICIUS JR

Reuters 

The Rio de Janeiro government named an anti-racism law after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr on Wednesday which will see sporting events stopped or suspended in the event of racist conduct.

Brazil forward Vinicius was racially abused by fans when Madrid played Valencia in May, the 10th such incident involving the 22-year-old that LaLiga has reported to prosecutors that season.