Shakira’s World Cup Performance Under Fire: Fans Speculate Over Body Double |

The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off on Thursday, June 11 in Mexico City, with the host country taking on South Africa in the first match of the international football tournament. Colombian superstar Shakira performed at the opening ceremony at the Azteca in Mexico City alongside Burna Boy as the duo debuted the official 2026 World Cup song ‘Dai Dai’.However, the 49-year-old’s appearance quickly became hotly debated online, with fans theorizing that he had been replaced by a body double. According to The Mirror, Shakira wore a yellow dress, white pants and platform sneakers, with large dark sunglasses that obscured much of her face. Her signature blonde hair was also dyed a light strawberry red color, making her look significantly different from what her fans were used to.

What Fans Said About ‘Fake Shakira’ Theories

Fans were awash with X speculation almost immediately after the show began. “Is that Shakira? Doesn’t she look like Shakira? Am I tripping?” one user wrote, and several others referred to the performer as “doble”, Spanish for double. “It’s not Shakira…who is it?!?!” echoed another, with one writing in Spanish: “Don’t tell me I’m the only one who thought it was Shakira’s body double.”Others chimed in with comments including: “Why did they bring a Shakira lookalike to the opening of the World Cup?” and “Am I the only one who thinks that’s not Shakira? They got a double there.” One skeptic added: “Real doubt. If it was Shakira? Something tells me she’s an impersonator.”

Shakira’s history with the World Cup

Shakira is no stranger to the World Cup stage, having performed at the World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014. He debuted the official anthem ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’ at the opening ceremony in South Africa 2010, a performance that remains one of the most memorable in World Cup history.

This year’s official song ‘Dai Dai’, which means ‘come, come’ in Italian slang, has a personal resonance for the singer. “I always thought I was more fragile or weaker than life proved me to be,” she explained of what drew her to the tune, pointing to lyrics like “Once you broke me, they made you strong.”“Behind every experience in life, there’s always a lesson, and we should be grateful for all those lessons, even the people who leave you with scars,” Shakira told PEOPLE. “Because they just made us better.”

The FIFA World Cup 2026 schedule

The tournament officially kicked off on Thursday, June 11, with Mexico v South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Team USA will face Paraguay at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Friday, June 12, and the contest is expected to draw a record global audience.

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