Afrobeats.no
Oslo's weekly Afrobeats briefing: Burna Boy and Rema opened the FIFA World Cup on two continents, the group stage is in full swing — and Midsummer has arrived.
Your weekly Oslo briefing on the culture, the scene, and the sounds.
The Story
The night before the tournament began, Burna Boy stood alongside Shakira at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City and performed "Dai Dai" — the official FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament anthem — at the main opening ceremony. June 11. The first match of the biggest sporting event in the world. A Nigerian artist at its centre.
The following evening, June 12, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Rema walked out in front of a sold-out crowd and a global broadcast audience of over three billion. He performed "Goals" alongside LISA and Anitta — the track the three recorded for the Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album. Katy Perry, Tyla, and Future also performed that night. But for the Afrobeats community, it is Rema's image on that stage that lands.
Two consecutive days. Two continents. Two Nigerian artists at the centre of the world's stage.
They were not there by accident. The Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album — 18 tracks — features four Nigerian artists: Burna Boy, Rema, Davido, and Ayra Starr, alongside Shakira, Tyla, Future, and The Rolling Stones. Davido anchored Qatar 2022 with "Hayya Hayya" — 400 million Spotify streams. FIFA came back. Four Nigerian artists on 18 tracks.
Nigeria's Super Eagles are not at this World Cup — eliminated by DR Congo on penalties in November 2025. That absence is real. But the genre arrived without the national team. There is a strange, specific power in that: the country's music reached a tournament its football could not.
By the time this publishes, the World Cup group stage is well underway. For the first time in history, ten African nations are competing: Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Cote d Ivoire, Cape Verde, and DR Congo. Each with their own story to write. But the cultural moment belongs to Burna Boy and Rema, and to a genre that is no longer being described as "emerging."
This is what arrival looks like.
Sources: FIFA.com, Billboard, NBC Los Angeles, US Soccer. Main opening ceremony: June 11, 2026, Estadio Azteca, Mexico City. SoFi ceremony: June 12, 2026, Los Angeles.
Oslo Pulse
It is Sankthansaften, and Oslo does what it always does: bonfires at the water, the city split between those who leave town and those who find every reason to stay. This year the week came stacked.
The Afrobeats Oslo calendar ran on consecutive nights — Afrobeat Nights on Thursday June 19, then the Afrobeats Oslo Summer Party on Saturday June 21. Two events in three days, in a city where the longest days of the year pull people out of their routines and into wherever the music is. The summer programming is here.
Then, just as June 22 turned into June 23, Norway played Senegal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — 2am Oslo time, Sankthansaften into Midsummer morning. Group I, second match. Norway needed points after beating Iraq 4-1 in the opener; Senegal needed them more after losing 3-1 to France. For Oslo, this was not just a football match. It was Norway versus a West African nation with a significant diaspora presence in the city — watched in living rooms and late-night bars while the bonfires were still smoking. The result follows you into the week.
Track Pick
Burna Boy ft. Shakira — "Dai Dai"
Released June 11, the night the World Cup began, this is the track that set the opening ceremony at Estadio Azteca in motion. Six days later it was sitting at #6 on Spotify Global and #1 on Shazam worldwide — 130 million YouTube views in nine days. The production does exactly what a ceremony record should: it builds, it opens space, it earns the stadium. Shakira on the hook, Burna in his most territorial mode, and between them something that feels like a handoff between two eras of global music. The numbers are telling you the same thing the crowd at Azteca already knew.
Worth Reading
- NBC Los Angeles: World Cup 2026 opening ceremonies: Date, time, artists and more — Full breakdown of the June 12 SoFi Stadium ceremony, including all performers and set details.
- FIFA.com: FIFA Sound ignites a global music movement, climbs the world's charts — How the 18-track Official FIFA World Cup 2026 Album is performing globally, with Burna Boy and Rema among its headline artists.
Looking Ahead
- BET Awards 2026: Sunday June 28, Peacock Theater, Los Angeles. Hosted by Druski. Tems, Tyla, Wizkid & Asake (Best Group), Burna Boy all nominated — and for the first time, African acts are competing directly in the main global categories, not a separate international bracket. The results will land in next week's TWIA.
- Afro Nation Portugal: July 3-5, Praia Da Rocha Beach, Portimao. Burna Boy headlines Thursday, Asake headlines Friday, Wizkid closes Saturday. Tyla, Gunna, Olamide, Mariah the Scientist, Daliwonga also on the bill. Piano People stage: Madumane and Focalistic co-headline. VIP sold out — general admission still available. This is the European Afrobeats festival of the summer.
- Ayra Starr — "Starrgirl" album: Campaign launched June 12 with lead single "Tornado." Album due August 14. One to track over the coming weeks.
- Afrobeat Nights Oslo: July 3 — same night Afro Nation kicks off in Portugal, Oslo has its own club night running.
- Next TWIA: June 30, 2026.
Published by Afrobeats.no Editorial. Corrections or tips: [email protected]
