Ayesha Roscoe

Because this is Africa.

That song was a colossal hit worldwide, which does make me think about the power of this particular stage, but also, like, how in the world is Shakira gonna, like, top that this time around?

Okay, so it sounds like this is going to be an interesting new experiment.

We'll see how it plays out.

When we come back, a look at some of the political forces shaping this year's World Cup.

Stay with us.

We're back with the Sunday story.

I'm talking about the World Cup with NPR's Jasmine Garst and Becky Sullivan.

So the timing of this World Cup is a little problematic in terms of it's happening as the Trump administration is doing this very robust crackdown on immigrants.

And part of that crackdown is new scrutiny for people seeking tourist visas.

So are there indications that people from abroad aren't getting their visas or are facing delays to come see the games?

Zooming in on Iran, they've got a team in the tournament.

Are any Iranian fans at all allowed into the U.S.

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For the U.S., this is a big cultural moment where you have many diverse communities around the country who are going to be tuned into this.

And this is something, Jasmine, that you've been reporting on.

Talk to me about some of these communities that are really excited and why this is such a big deal for them.

And I feel like we can't have a conversation about the World Cup without at least mentioning the organization behind it all, FIFA.

FIFA has been facing huge criticism around ticket sales.

They're so expensive.