Shakira is set to bring the World Cup back to the center of her career on Thursday, when she performs the official song for the 2026 tournament at the opening ceremony in Mexico City. The show arrives with renewed attention on her reported relationship with actor Lucien Laviscount, a subject that has followed the singer since the pair were linked after working together on her 2024 music video for Punteria.
The performance gives the 49-year-old singer another high-profile World Cup moment, more than a decade after Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) became one of the signature songs of the 2010 tournament in South Africa. She is also due to co-headline the final half-time show on July 19 with Madonna and BTS, making this World Cup run one of the biggest live platforms of her career.
Laviscount, 34, is best known for his roles on Waterloo Road and Emily in Paris. He and Shakira were later spotted having dinner in New York City, and their public appearances fueled speculation that their connection had moved beyond the set. The age gap between them, 15 years, has also been part of the attention surrounding the pair.
But Shakira has been saying something different in public. In May, she told The Times that there was “no romance” in her life for now, saying she had no space or time for that, that her children were her priority, and that she was enjoying being alone while concentrating on her career. That comment sits uneasily beside the later sightings and the renewed buzz around Laviscount, leaving the state of the relationship unclear.
For Shakira, the timing matters because the World Cup stage has long been one of the few places where her music and her private life collide so openly. She previously helped define the tournament’s sound with Waka Waka, and this year’s return places her back in front of a global audience just as questions about her personal life are being searched again. What remains unanswered is whether the reports linking her to Laviscount reflect a relationship that is still alive or one that has already faded from view.
