The track focuses on how football culture spans languages, regions and identities. This delicately mirrors the range of tournament locations across the United States, Canada and Mexico, reflecting the global reach through its international structure and multilingual lyrics.
‘Dai Dai’ opens with an easily chantable sound made for stadiums. The “oh-eh-oh-eh” refrain and layered vocals set a steady rhythm built from repetition and the possibility of crowd response. The lyrics themselves focus on belonging and resilience, framing football as something that is shared as opposed to individual stories. Shakira and Burna Boy’s ability to lean into a collective team-like energy shapes a sound that follows the tournament's values - unity.
One of the most striking moments of the song comes from the central hook. “Dai, dai, ikou, dale, allez, let’s go” are all synonymous; the mix of Italian, Japanese, Spanish, French and English creates a multilingual chant designed for global recognition and participation. The chorus structure prioritises this, showing that World Cup music functions as a live global single rather than a traditional pop narrative.
The verses focus on effort, struggle and persistence. References to “sweat”, sacrifice and overcoming setbacks frame the song as motivational messaging for both players and fans. The pre-chorus highlights this further by repeating ideas of highs, lows and emotional endurance. The two artists present success as a process created by pressure and resilience.
Another standout section is the list of football legends and national teams. This transforms the song into something real, forming the track into global football memory. There's no doubt the song will be a hit with the crowd when Shakira performs at the final’s halftime show on the 19th of July.
Both Shakira and Burna Boy bring different strengths to the track, from Shakira’s history with past World Cup songs like ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’ to Burna Boy’s Afrobeat influence, something that gives the track a global feel. ‘Dai Dai’ feels built for the scale of the modern World Cup - where music, sport and global audiences meet.
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