Shakira to cap off world tour with Madrid 12-gig run

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(FILES) Colombian singer Shakira performs during the halftime show of the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. Shakira will kick off on September 18, 2026 evening a marathon twelve-concert run in Madrid, bringing an end to both her world tour and the Colombian superstar’s eight-year absence from Spain. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

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Shakira will kick off on Friday evening a marathon twelve-concert run in Madrid, bringing an end to both her world tour and the Colombian superstar’s eight-year absence from Spain.

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The 49-year-old “Hips Don’t Lie” and “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” singer will take to a temporary 50,000-seater “Shakira stadium” erected in the south of the Spanish capital up till October 11, according to events giant Live Nation.

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With no other European tour dates announced, Madrid’s authorities are expecting a significant economic windfall from her grand return, after welcoming fellow Hispanic superstar Bad Bunny in May and June for a series of 10 gigs.

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Shakira has not performed in Spain since 2018, several years before her separation from former Spanish footballing great Gerard Pique was made public in 2022.

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She embarked on a world tour in February 2025 to promote “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” (Women no longer cry), an album inspired by her breakup with the legendary Barcelona defender which won her a fourth Grammy award.

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Across her decades-long career, Shakira has sold more than 95 million records worldwide and performed at both the opening ceremony and final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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“Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” was also the official song for the 2010 tournament in South Africa, the first time world football’s premiere showcase was held on the continent.

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Her return to Madrid also comes after she paid a 7.3-million-euro fine ($8.4 million) in November 2023 as part of an agreement with the Spanish courts, in which she pleaded guilty to avoid having to stand trial for tax fraud.

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In the high-profile affair, Shakira also paid the Spanish taxman 17.45 million euros to settle her affairs in the country.

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AFP

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