What makes a memorable World Cup anthem? Is it a song that best reflects the host countries? Is it a global banger, incorporating multiple languages and genres? Or should it simply value a chant-along chorus above all?

There is an argument to make for each — or perhaps all. To get to the bottom of it ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Associated Press asked a few of the performers behind World Cup songs past and present. It is a list that includes Shakira — who, alongside Afrobeats star Burna Boy, is responsible for the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, Dai Dai — as well as Colombian singer J Balvin, Wyclef Jean, and newcomer Nora Fatehi.

Before Dai Dai, the Colombian superstar co-wrote and performed Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) featuring Freshlyground, the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa.