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Uganda's Ghetto Kids to shake it with Shakira at World Cup final

The Ghetto Kids, a Ugandan dance group from Kampala's slums, have been invited to perform with Shakira at the 2026 World Cup final halftime show. The invitation came after Shakira saw their video dancing to her World Cup theme song 'Dai Dai.' The group, comprising about 60 members including orphans and children from poor families, sees this as a life-changing opportunity, though their travel may be affected by the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the DRC.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 outlets · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jun 14–15, 2026 Published Aug 13

Lead

The Ghetto Kids, a dance troupe from the slums of Kampala, Uganda, have been invited to perform alongside Colombian pop star Shakira at the 2026 World Cup final, according to reports from multiple outlets. The invitation follows a video of the group dancing to 'Dai Dai,' the official World Cup theme song recorded by Shakira with Nigerian singer Burna Boy.

Coverage Comparison

The story was reported by two outlets: AllAfrica and RFI (English). Both present the same core facts: the group's invitation, its composition of about 60 members including orphans and children from poor families, and its prior performances at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards and on Britain's Got Talent. Both sources frame the invitation as a 'life-changing opportunity' for the group, using quotes from the dancers themselves.

One notable difference: RFI added a cautionary note not present in the AllAfrica piece—that the group's trip to the United States might be threatened by the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This detail was carried by only one of the two sources and has not been independently confirmed by other outlets as of this writing.

Both articles rely on direct quotes from group members, giving the story a first-person feel. The tone in both is neutral and informative, though RFI's phrasing leans slightly more inspirational.

Key Claims

The following claims are reported by both AllAfrica and RFI, and thus appear well-supported:

Invitation to perform with Shakira: Both outlets report that Shakira invited the Ghetto Kids to join her in the halftime show of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, 2026, after seeing a video of them dancing to 'Dai Dai.'

Group composition: The group has around 60 members, including orphans and children from families living in poverty, as well as some who grew up on the streets. This is consistent across both sources.

Prior achievements: The Ghetto Kids have previously performed at the CAF Awards in Morocco, appeared on Britain's Got Talent, and participated in events at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Reaction to the invitation: Dancers reportedly jumped for joy upon hearing the news. One member, Ssegirinya Madwanah, known as 'King,' is quoted as saying they 'danced all night.'

Potential travel disruption: Only one outlet (RFI) reported that the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the DRC could threaten the group's travel to the US. This is a single-source claim and should be treated with caution.

Perspectives

The Ghetto Kids' perspective: The group views the invitation as a validation of their work and a chance to reach new heights. Their manager had long encouraged them to keep dancing, telling them that maybe one day Shakira would notice them. The dancers describe the opportunity as 'much bigger than anything we've done before.'

Observers' perspective: The story highlights the transformative power of social media and talent, as a group from a Kampala township gains international recognition. The narrative is uplifting, focusing on opportunity and aspiration.

Cautious perspective: The potential travel disruption due to Ebola adds an element of uncertainty. This concern was raised by only one source, so its prominence may be limited, but it underscores the broader challenges facing African artists seeking global exposure.

Corrections and Context

No corrections have been issued regarding this story. The information about the World Cup final date and venue (July 19, 2026, MetLife Stadium) is consistent across both sources. The group's history is also consistent. The only point of divergence is the Ebola-related risk, which remains a single-source report and has not been corroborated elsewhere.

How each outlet told it

AllAfrica as of Jun 15, 2026, 5:16 AM UTC

Framing: Ugandan dance group's opportunity to perform with Shakira — Neutral and informative

Facts Included:

Ghetto Kids invited to perform with Shakira at 2026 World Cup final
Group has 60 members, including orphans and children from poor families
They have performed at Confederation of African Football Awards and Britain's Got Talent
Shakira saw their video performing to Dai Dai and invited them to perform

Read the source article →

RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC

Framing: Ugandan dance group's life-changing opportunity — Inspiring and hopeful

Facts Included:

Ghetto Kids invited to perform with Shakira at 2026 World Cup final
Group has 60 members, including orphans and children from poor families
They have performed at Confederation of African Football Awards and Britain's Got Talent
Shakira saw their video performing to Dai Dai and invited them to perform
Group's trip to US may be threatened by Ebola outbreak in Uganda and DRC

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe Ghetto Kids, a group of young Ugandan dancers from the slums of Kampala, have been invited to perform alongside pop star Shakira at the 2026 World Cup final.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe group has 60 members, including orphans and children from poor families.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe Ghetto Kids have performed at the Confederation of African Football Awards and Britain's Got Talent.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimShakira saw a video of the Ghetto Kids performing to Dai Dai and invited them to perform with her at the 2026 World Cup final.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimThe group's trip to the US may be threatened by the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via RFI — English as of Jun 14, 2026, 10:16 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 outlets · 2 articles consulted: AllAfrica, RFI — English 5 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13