Burning Bright: How Ed Sheeran Turned My World Cup Final Nerves Into Confidence — Burna Boy

Burna Boy, a Grammy-winning singer, said that British pop sensation Ed Sheeran was one of the most considerate people he has ever collaborated with and helped him get ready for the pressure of performing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

Burna Boy added that Sheeran was the first to get in touch with him regarding working with Colombian superstar Shakira on Dai Dai, the official anthem for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

He stated this during an interview with Capital FM posted on Instagram on Friday.

The “Last Last” crooner claims that Sheeran also warned him ahead of time about the pressures of playing on the biggest stage in football.

He said;

“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.”

“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’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.”

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.