Some viewers watching the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony have been sharing an unusual theory online after Shakira’s appearance on stage.
The singer performed during the curtain-raiser in Mexico, wearing yellow and white in a nod to Colombia, at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca before the opening match of the 2026 tournament.
The show marked the fourth time Shakira has taken part in a FIFA World Cup performance, having previously appeared in connection with the 2006, 2010 and 2014 tournaments. In Mexico City, she delivered Dai Dai (Come on, Come on), the official song of the 2026 World Cup, with the trademark intensity and movement that have long been associated with her live shows.
She was joined by Burna Boy, and the pair ended the performance with the chant of ‘dale, allez, let’s go!’
The opening ceremony was part of a larger star-studded show that also featured names including Maná, Andrea Bocelli and a surprise appearance from Salma Hayek, as Mexico kicked off the tournament in front of a packed crowd.
Even so, the conversation online quickly shifted away from the spectacle itself, with some fans speculating about what they had just seen.
A number of viewers claimed Shakira appeared to stumble during part of the routine, while others argued her movement looked different from what they expected.
That prompted a wave of posts suggesting, without evidence, that the person on stage was not actually Shakira but a stand-in or body double.
“It isn’t her, nor her energy.”
“That’s not Shakira. Watch how she messes up the step when she sings Dai Dai… That’s a double.”
“Doesn’t move her hips like Shakira.”
The reaction ties into a broader internet conspiracy theory in which famous people are supposedly replaced by doubles, clones or even robots. Similar claims regularly flare up on social media after major live TV events, where camera angles, lighting, choreography changes and the pressure of a one-take broadcast often get picked apart frame by frame.
Still, many others were quick to dismiss the claims and argued there was nothing mysterious about the performance.
“A lookalike with the same scar on his forehead?”
“It’s her, we just have to start admitting that she’s no longer the same performer and doesn’t look the same anymore.”
“Hahaha, of course. Days and days rehearsing just to send in a body double . She’s Shakira and she looks spectacular, and like anyone, she gets nervous and flubbed a step.”
Shakira’s set also carried extra significance because FIFA has already announced that she is due to return on 19 July 2026 for the first halftime show in a World Cup final, set to take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey alongside Madonna and BTS.
Elsewhere in the tournament, Mexico opened their campaign against South Africa and started strongly with a 2-0 win.
The match was also historic for the venue, with Estadio Azteca becoming the first stadium to host matches across three men’s FIFA World Cups after previously staging games in 1970 and 1986.
President Claudia Sheinbaum was not in attendance for the opening match and instead passed her ticket on to a supporter.
“They [the team] are the pride of Mexico. They will not represent the president, or the head of government, they will represent Mexico.”