"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring the South African band Freshlyground. Co-written by Shakira and John Hill, it was released on 7 May 2010 by Epic Records as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was held in South Africa. Released in English and Spanish (with the title "Waka Waka (Esto es África)"), the song interpolates the original Cameroonian makossa song "Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)" by Golden Sounds and the lyrics encourage the players to aim for goals like soldiers on a battlefield.
It received generally favourable reviews from critics. However, the selection of Shakira to sing the song generated controversy after numerous South Africans expressed disappointment in FIFA's decision, arguing that a native artist should have been assigned the role. "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" peaked at number one on the record charts of numerous countries worldwide and was the most successful song of 2010 in seven countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million units in the country. The single attained multiplatinum certifications in several countries, including diamond certifications in Brazil, France, Germany and Sweden. As of 2019, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" had sold 15 million downloads worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling digital singles of all time. The success earned the song a Guinness World Record, certified as the most streamed FIFA World Cup song on Spotify.
"Waka Waka" is considered the anthem of the World Cup. The music video for "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" was directed by Marcus Raboy and shows Shakira and a group of dancers and children dancing to the song together. It features cameos by various footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. It became popular on YouTube, receiving more than 4.5 billion views as of June 2026 and becoming the 18th-most-watched video of all time on the site. Shakira performed the song at the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on 10 June as well as at the closing ceremony on 11 July. It was also included on the set list of her The Sun Comes Out World Tour (2010–11), El Dorado World Tour (2018) and Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour (2025).
Background and release
In February 2010, Shakira wrote and produced "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" with American record producer John Hill, who had previously collaborated with her on several songs from She Wolf. The inclusion of Freshlyground, a South African rock band whose genres span jazz, blues and kwela (afro-pop) on the track took place after Hill met with their producer in New York. The band were finishing their studio album Radio Africa when Hill approached them requesting input regarding the song. The producer left the band alone to make additions to the track and returned hours later to listen to it. Giving little reaction after hearing it, Hill expressed interest in recording "everything I'd heard here" and told the band that they would hear from him later.
On April 26, 2010, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) announced that "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" would serve as the official song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was to begin in South Africa later in June, and would also appear on Listen Up! The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Album. The announcement mentioned that Shakira would perform the song at the closing ceremony of the cup, which would take place before the Final match, on 11 July at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. She would also headline the World Cup FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert on 10 June at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg. The song was premiered on 28 April and was made available for digital download on the iTunes Store on 7 May 2010. It received a physical release as a CD single on 28 May. A Spanish-language version of the song, titled "Waka Waka (Esto es África)," was also recorded by Shakira. It was released as a single in specific markets. "K-Mix" versions of "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" and "Waka Waka (Esto es África)" were also included in the singer's ninth studio album, Sale el Sol, which she released in October the same year.
Composition
"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" draws inspiration from traditional African music, blending an African Colombian rhythm with a Soca-influenced beat and Congolese rumba guitar style. Freshlyground's unique afro-fusion sound further incorporated traditional South African music such as kwela. Zolani Mahola (the band's lead singer) predominantly delivered her verse in Xhosa. In addition, the song contains instrumentation from a Southern African guitar. The chorus of the song and the words "waka waka" are borrowed from "Zangaléwa", a 1986 song recorded by Cameroonian band Golden Sounds, which was a hit not only across Africa but also in Colombia, with the help of West African DJs, where Shakira heard the tune when she was a child. According to Debora Halbert, author of the book The State of Copyright: The Complex Relationships of Cultural Creation in a Globalized World, Golden Sounds were also not the original creators of the chorus, since it was adapted from "military marches of unknown origins that go back as far as World War II". "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" is written in the key of D major, and has tempo of 127 beats per minute.
The lyrics of "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" compare football (soccer) players to soldiers on a battlefield and encourage them to fight for their goals. Fraser McAlpine from BBC Music Chart Blog described them to be "about an undisclosed event which is about to happen for Africa, in which everyone gets together and enjoys the fruits of their hard work, even though there have been many hardships along the way." The Spanish version of the song does not contain a war metaphor and instead "talks about walls coming down."
Controversy Several news outlets have accused Shakira of "stealing" or "plagiarism", owing to similarities between "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" and "Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)". However, members of the group Golden Sounds/Zangalewa, Guy Dooh and Jean Paul Ze Bella and their manager Didier Edo, held a press conference to "'enlighten international opinion' and above all to 'silence rumors about a possible legal action'". Regarding the controversy, Edo said: "There is no question of plagiarism as some have thought, but the international singer has simply readapted the song", and that there was an agreement with Shakira's management and Sony Music.
FIFA's decision to choose "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" as the official song was negatively received by some South African people, who felt that Shakira was not the "right person to represent the country's first World Cup," arguing that an African artist should have been assigned the role. South African musicians were also displeased regarding the lack of native acts scheduled to perform at the FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert on 10 June 2010. They expressed anger towards the South African Football Association (SAFA) for letting international artists such as Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, and Shakira headline the event. Subsequently, the Creative Workers Union of South Africa planned a demonstration to be held on 15 April, but called it off after SAFA announced that the repertoire of performing acts would be finalised after "consultation with fans and host cities." Danny Jordaan, head of the South African World Cup Organising Committee and president of SAFA, released a statement assuring that "the incredibly talented South African and African music industry will play a major part in the tournament's off-field success and character." Freshlyground's violinist Kyla-Rose Smith defended FIFA's decision to select "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" as the official song, saying: "I think that the World Cup is a global event but it's also a business, a huge marketing exercise. FIFA requires a musician of a certain global reach to appeal to all the different kinds of people who are involved and witness and watch the World Cup. So I understand the choice of someone like Shakira."
The "waka waka" riff of the song also generated controversy. In June 2010, it was reported that Dominican musician Wilfrido Vargas had decided to file a lawsuit against Shakira for allegedly plagiarising the riff off his composition "El Negro No Puede" for a sum of $11 million, which was performed by Dominican group Las Chicas del Can. However, Vargas later directly addressed the issue and said he did not have any intention to sue Shakira, clarifying that he himself did not own the riff used in "El Negro No Puede", and that the prior statements made in his name were fabricated.
Critical reception Fraser McAlpine from BBC Music Chart Blog gave the song a four-out-of-five rating and praised its welding of "undulating African guitars to a clod-hopping, skippy township beat." However, he felt that the song did not seem to be about the World Cup and could "just as easily be about a global effort to build water-pipes in the worst drought-ridden areas of the continental land-mass." Robert Copsey from Digital Spy rated it three out of five stars, favouring its "ludicrously catchy" chorus, although he commented: "Somewhat inevitably, 'Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)' sees Shak[ira] replace her usual kooky lyrics with lines that wouldn't sound out of place on an X Factor winner's song." Kyle Anderson from MTV picked "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" as the best official World Cup song, calling it a "funky, inspirational tune." Canada.com critic Stuart Derdeyn, however, was highly critical of the song and called it "sonic vomit" and "perhaps the stupidest official song for any major sporting event ever."
"Waka-Waka (This Time for Africa)" received a nomination at the 2010 Premios Shock for "Best Radio Song" ("Mejor Canción Radio"), but lost to "No Digas lo Siento" by Don Tetto. The song was nominated "Top Latin Song" at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. In the same year, it received a nomination for "Latin Digital Download of the Year" at the 2011 Latin Billboard Music Awards. At the 2011 Nuestra Tierra Awards, "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" was nominated for "Best Song", but lost to Santiago Cruz and Fernando Osorio's "Cuando Regreses". In the same year, It was recognized at the 19th Annual ASCAP Latin Music Awards as one of the most-performed Pop Songs of 2010. The song was recognized as one of the most-performed songs at the 19th BMI Latin Music Awards in 2012.
Billboard included "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)" among the 50 essential Latin songs of the 2010s decade. The song has also been popularised by Tottenham fans in celebration of their Europa League win in Bilbao.
Commercial performance Europe