Shakira, Dua Lipa, Rod Stewart Refused To Perform At The Qatar 2022 World Cup

Shakira, Dua Lipa, and Rod Steward are among the artists who reportedly refused the offer to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar.

It was not easy for the World Cup organizers to find singers who were willing to travel to Qatar and perform at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The opening ceremony is to be held at Al Bayt stadium on Nov. 20. Several artists have so far declined the offer to perform at the event. Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and criminalization of same-sex relationships and the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community in Qatar has been a cause for concern, MARCA reported.

One of the most popular artists who has said 'no' to performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup has been pop sensation, Dua Lipa. Dua Lipa explained that she has never reached the point of negotiating because her decision was made from the beginning.

"I will be cheering England on from afar and I look forward to visiting Qatar when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup. One Love, Dua," clarified Dua Lipa.

Rod Stewart was also approached by the organizers to perform at the event and offered over a million dollars for his performance. However, he turned down the offer and recently explained why he declined the lucrative offer.

"They offered me a huge amount of money, over a million dollars for the performance, but I turned it down because I don't think it's right to go to a country with those ideas and values. I also think the Iranians should also stop supplying them with weapons," Stewart confessed.

Another artist who recently refused to perform at the event is Shakira.

“It’s been confirmed to me that Shakira will not perform at the opening ceremony, but they won’t say if she will have another role throughout the World Cup,” Adriana Dorronsoro, a contributor on the show, said.

Meanwhile, several artists including J. Balvin, Robbie Williams, Jason Derulo, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Nora Fatehi, Black Eyed Peas, Jungkook of BTS and Nicki Minaj, Maluma, and Myriam Fares, will be performing at the event.