Pop icon Shakira spearheaded the star-studded opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City. Joining Nigerian artist Burna Boy, she performed Dai Dai, the tournament’s official song, at the packed Estadio Azteca ahead of the opening match.

While the highly anticipated performance wowed many fans, it also sparked a wave of mixed reactions on social media. Some hailed Shakira’s appearance as “spectacular,” while others felt it fell short of expectations, with a few even questioning whether the singer had been replaced by a body double.

“It’s not Shaki. Something urgent came up at the last minute, and I feel like they called in a stunt double because she doesn’t have her energy, nor does she look the same. Then she comes out wearing glasses. What do you think?” wrote an X user, expressing disappointment and doubts.

However, many netizens dismissed the speculation, arguing that it was clearly Shakira and that expecting her to look exactly as she did years ago was unrealistic.

“People want Shakira to look the same as she did 15 years ago. For 49 years old, she looks incredible,” another X user commented in her defence.

Several users also compared the performance with Shakira’s previous FIFA World Cup appearances, with some claiming that her earlier performances overshadowed this one.

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Others, however, praised the singer’s first live rendition of Dai Dai.

Shakira took the stage in a short white skirt paired with a vibrant yellow mesh top and matching gloves, performing before a crowd of more than 80,000 spectators on Thursday.

“What a stellar performance by Shakira & Burna Boy,” wrote one user.

“Shakira was by far the best player and artist of this first day of the World Cup. Today, fortunately, dreams are on the horizon with Canada-Bosnia, USA-Paraguay, and Qatar-Switzerland,” commented another.