Grammy-winning singer, Burna Boy, has revealed that British pop star Ed Sheeran helped prepare him for the pressure of performing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, describing the singer as one of the most thoughtful people he has worked with.
- +How Ed Sheeran helped me handle World Cup final pressure — Burna Boy
Burna Boy also said Sheeran was the first person to contact him about collaborating with Colombian superstar Shakira on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, Dai Dai.
Burna Boy also said Sheeran was the first person to contact him about collaborating with Colombian superstar Shakira on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, Dai Dai.
He stated this during an interview with Capital FM posted on Instagram on Friday.
According to the ‘Last Last’ crooner, Sheeran also gave him an early warning about the demands of performing on football’s biggest stage.
“He’s actually the first one to call me about this because he’s the one that had my number before everyone. He hit me up about it and said, ‘Yeah, we should do the World Cup song with Shakira,’ and I said, ‘I’d love to work with Shakira, let’s do it,'” Burna Boy said.
The Afrofusion star explained that Sheeran knew how overwhelming large-scale performances could be for him and wanted to ensure he was mentally prepared.
“He had to give me the heads up like, ‘Yo, you’re gonna have to perform at the finals and all of that,’ because he knows me.
“He knows how I get down. He knows the stress part is a bit crazy for me, so he gave me a heads-up. He was like, ‘Yo, it’s gonna be real stressful,'” he said.
Burna Boy praised the Shape of You singer for his personality and professionalism, saying their friendship extends beyond music.
“He’s just a very sensible and lovable guy. He’s someone I’ve taken to personally from the beginning. Ed is very smart, man. He always knows what he’s doing,” he added.
The revelation comes weeks after Shakira explained why she insisted on featuring Burna Boy on Dai Dai, the official anthem of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking in an interview that aired on July 8 on capital evening show with Jimmy Hill, the Colombian singer said she wanted a powerful male voice to complement the song’s Afrobeats-inspired sound.
“Once I had the song, I felt that I really needed a male vocal, a male voice in the song because the World Cup carries a big male energy. I was like, ‘Who can give me that very masculine voice that I want in this Afrobeat setting?'” she said.
Shakira added that she had long admired Burna Boy and was determined to have him on the record, even after waiting about 20 days for him to send his verse.
“It took a while. I was waiting for 20 days for him to send something. I thought maybe he wasn’t going to do it.
“But then he sent his magic and it was just absolutely perfect. His voice works so well on this song. I couldn’t imagine anybody else on it.
“I was so obsessed about having Burna on this track. I’m so glad that I got him,” she said.
Dai Dai, co-written by Ed Sheeran and producer Alexander Castillo, served as the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Burna Boy and Shakira first performed the anthem during the tournament’s opening ceremony on June 11, 2026, at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. They reunited for the inaugural FIFA World Cup final halftime show on July 19, 2026, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, alongside Uganda’s Ghetto Kids dance group.
The collaboration marked another World Cup anthem for Shakira following the success of Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) in 2010, while Burna Boy’s appearance underscored Afrobeats’ growing influence on the global music stage.
