shakira world cup song icod tenerife

Shakira’s World Cup song sparks unexpected link with Tenerife

Shakira’s World Cup anthem creates a buzz in Tenerife

The 2026 World Cup, hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada, is already revving up, and just as in South Africa 2010 — the only time Spain lifted the trophy — Shakira is once again making musical waves in the tournament. The Colombian artist has teamed up with Nigerian singer Burna Boy for “Dai Dai”, one of the official anthems of the 2026 World Cup. But the real curiosity lies hidden in one of the choruses, which has created an unexpected connection with the Canary Islands — and more specifically, Tenerife — thanks to a comedian from the island.

The comic who heard “Icod” in the chorus

Darío López, a comedian from La Laguna who runs the popular account palanteproducciones, has managed to link the Tenerife town of Icod de los Vinos to the World Cup via a striking phonetic coincidence in the song. He shared an Instagram Story reacting to the track with a message that quickly caught his followers’ attention: “When you hear the World Cup song and you feel proud to be from ICOD.”

If you listen carefully to a specific moment in the chorus, the phonetic similarity is indeed striking enough to make a Spanish speaker think Shakira is singing the name of the northern Tenerife town. What you actually hear is not “Icod” but “ikou” — a Japanese expression derived from the verb iku (to go) that translates roughly to an enthusiastic “let’s go” or “come on.”

A global message in five languages

The chorus cleverly plays on this idea, repeating the word “vamos” in five different languages: Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Japanese. The formula is designed to reflect the global nature of the World Cup and bring fans from all over the world together under a single unifying message.

More than just a catchy tune

The official anthem of the 2026 World Cup also has a charitable component. According to Shakira, the aim is to raise funds during the tournament for educational and sporting programmes for children through the FIFA Foundation. The Colombian star will have another chance to share her message with the world on 19 July, when the World Cup final takes place. For the first time, the match will feature a half-time show in the style of the Super Bowl, which will also include other international artists.

This is not the first time Shakira has created an iconic World Cup anthem. She did so in 2010 with the unforgettable “Waka Waka”, a song forever linked to Spain’s historic triumph in South Africa.

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