Some people remember a World Cup because of the goal that decided the final. Others remember the country that lifted the trophy. Me? I belong to the group of people who can remember the opening notes of Waka Waka long before they can recall who actually won the tournament. And I have a feeling I’m not the only one.
Ask someone who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and they might pause before answering. But start singing “Tsamina mina, eh eh…” and chances are they’ll finish the lyrics without hesitation. That contrast has always fascinated me. Somehow, one of the world’s biggest sporting events has remained just as alive through music as it has through football itself.
It also made me realize something I had never really thought about before: when we talk about the history of the World Cup, we almost always talk about the players. Rarely do we stop to think about the women who helped shape how billions of people experienced the tournament.
Football has long been marketed as one of the most masculine spaces in the world. Every four years, the spotlight belongs to players, coaches and national teams. Yet when FIFA wanted to give the tournament a voice that could travel beyond stadiums and reach people across continents, languages and cultures, it repeatedly turned to women. That, to me, is far more significant than it first appears.
Writing an official World Cup anthem isn’t simply another career milestone. Unlike the players competing for a trophy, artists are asked to represent something much bigger than a single match. Their music has to connect with people who support different teams, speak different languages and come from completely different cultures. It has to create a feeling that belongs to everyone.
For female artists, that responsibility carried an even deeper meaning. They weren’t stepping into a space where women had traditionally been the face of the event. Instead, they carved out their own place within one of the world’s biggest celebrations without ever setting foot on the pitch.
Artists like Anastacia with Boom (South Korea & Japan 2002), Jennifer Lopez with We Are One (Ole Ola) (Brazil 2014), and above all, Shakira with Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) (South Africa 2010), La La La (Brazil 2014) and most recently Dai Dai (United States, Mexico & Canada 2026), didn’t become memorable simply because they recorded official songs. They became memorable because each of them brought something that’s unmistakably their own. Rather than adapting themselves to football culture, they expanded football culture to include their artistry, their identity and their audiences. That’s what makes their contribution so remarkable.
This year’s anthem DNA (More Than A Game) was led by none other than singer/songwriter EJAE, who is mostly known for being the voice behind the global hit Golden from KPop Demon Hunters. With a stand-out voice like hers, anyone will remember a song.
Their songs invited people who had never watched a full match to feel included in the celebration. They reminded us that the World Cup isn’t experienced only inside a stadium. It’s experienced in living rooms, schools, cafés, city squares and everywhere people gather to celebrate something bigger than themselves. These women didn’t change football itself – they changed who felt welcome to be part of its biggest moments.
To me, that’s one of the most overlooked forms of leadership in entertainment. We often celebrate women for breaking records, selling out tours or winning awards. Yet influence isn’t always measured by numbers. Sometimes it’s measured by the ability to reshape a space without asking permission to enter it. These artists didn’t compete with football for attention. They complemented it, proving that creativity can be just as powerful as competition when it comes to bringing people together.
Perhaps that’s why Shakira is so often called the Queen of the World Cup. It’s not simply because she has recorded multiple official songs. It’s because she represents something much bigger: the idea that women don’t need to wear a jersey or lift a trophy to leave an unforgettable mark on the world’s biggest sporting event.
Football may still be considered, by many, a men’s game. But the way millions of us remember the World Cup tells a different story. History may be written by the players on the pitch, yet its emotional legacy has often been shaped by women whose voices turned a tournament into a global celebration. And perhaps that’s the most powerful reminder of all: changing a space doesn’t always mean standing at its center. Sometimes, it means transforming how the entire world experiences it.
ROARA Magazine 