Uganda’s electrifying young dance stars, Ghetto Kids, are heading to one of the biggest entertainment stages in the world after Colombian superstar Shakira confirmed that she has invited the group to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup halftime show.
The announcement came through a video shared on Shakira’s official Instagram account on May 20, where she spoke about the growing international momentum behind “Dai Dai,” the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup featuring Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy.
While discussing the flood of dance videos inspired by the song across social media platforms, Shakira singled out the Ugandan dance group by name.
“I’ve already invited the Ghetto Kids from Uganda,” she said, acknowledging the troupe as part of the global creative wave driving the song’s viral popularity. The invitation places the Kampala-based group on course for another major international milestone ahead of the tournament final scheduled for July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, as part of a World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
For the Ghetto Kids, the moment represents the latest chapter in a journey that began far from the global entertainment spotlight. Founded in 2014 by Dauda Kavuma, widely known as Teacher Dauda, the group emerged from the densely populated Katwe slum in Kampala, an area long associated with poverty, unemployment and limited opportunities for children and young people.
Their breakthrough came after a homemade dance video to Eddy Kenzo’s hit song “Sitya Loss” exploded online, drawing millions of views and introducing the energetic young dancers to international audiences. The video became one of East Africa’s earliest viral music-dance crossovers on YouTube and social media. That breakthrough transformed the group from local child dancers into one of Africa’s most recognised youth entertainment brands.
Over the years, the Ghetto Kids have appeared in major international productions and events, including French Montana’s “Unforgettable” music video, which became a global hit and amassed billions of views online. The troupe also participated in activities surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, further deepening their association with football-linked global entertainment.
Their international profile expanded even further in 2023 after a standout appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, where the group received a coveted Golden Buzzer, sending them directly into the competition’s advanced stages and exposing them to millions of viewers across Europe and beyond.
What continues to distinguish the Ghetto Kids is not only their choreography, but the broader story attached to their rise. The group has repeatedly been framed internationally as an example of talent emerging from difficult social conditions, with dance functioning both as creative expression and as a pathway away from poverty for many of the children involved.
The invitation from Shakira also reflects the growing influence of African dance culture within global pop entertainment. African choreographic styles, Afrobeats rhythms, street dance trends and social media dance challenges now play a major role in how international music spreads online. Viral dance creators from cities such as Kampala, Lagos, Johannesburg and Accra increasingly shape the global digital music ecosystem.
That cultural influence sits at the centre of “Dai Dai’s” popularity. By incorporating creators such as the Ghetto Kids into the World Cup performance ecosystem, organisers and artists are effectively recognising how African youth culture now drives large parts of global music engagement online.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup itself is expected to become the largest in history, featuring 48 national teams across 16 host cities in North America. FIFA has also expanded the entertainment component surrounding the tournament, mirroring the commercial scale and spectacle associated with events such as the Super Bowl halftime show. Against that backdrop, the appearance of a Ugandan dance troupe on football’s biggest stage carries significance beyond entertainment alone.
The journey of Ghetto Kids from the streets of Katwe to the World Cup halftime stage reflects how African youth creativity increasingly travels beyond borders without waiting for traditional gatekeepers. Global audiences are no longer discovering African talent as a novelty. They are consuming it as part of mainstream global culture.