This story is part of Billboard’s Global World Cup Series, a collection of 11 cover stories which pairs top soccer stars across the world competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup with highly-touted musicians in accompanying countries.

Zeca Pagodinho is an endless source of stories and anecdotes. One of the most remarkable took place in 2012, during the celebrations of Corinthians’ world title, when he asked for a round of applause for Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach of Palmeiras, Corinthians’ archrival. After many boos, a kind soul explained that Scolari was their coach, while Corinthians was led by Tite.

It’s almost ironic that this 67-year-old Carioca — one of the greatest names in Brazilian music of all time, and admittedly averse to soccer (“I don’t have the patience to watch matches, and whenever I do watch, my team concedes a goal,” he deflects) — ended up being the interpreter of one of the biggest anthems in recent Brazilian soccer history. The samba “Deixa a Vida me Levar” (“Let Life Take Me”), by Serginho Meriti and Eri do Cais, which Zeca recorded on his 2002 album of the same name, was adopted as an anthem by the team that won the World Cup that year. And the sambista, of course, has no idea how the song ended up there. “My son told me the players were singing it. Then they threw a party with it,” he says.

Pagodinho welcomed Billboard Brasil on a Tuesday afternoon at his headquarters, the Pagode do Zeca, and was joined by two four‑time world champions: Romário and Bebeto, the striker duo that delivered plenty of samba at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Zeca once took part in a tryout for Everest Atlético Clube, a club founded in the 1950s in Rio’s North Zone. “I didn’t last 10 seconds on the field. I was right back. The coach looked at me and told me to get out,” he confesses. Romário, for his part, also tried to trade the ball for the microphone. In 1995, he and fellow striker Edmundo recorded the funk track “O Rap dos Bad Boys.” “You can believe he was a better fullback than I was a singer,” Romário jokes.

Zeca even tried to score a goal. A while back, he arranged it with the opposing goalkeeper. “There was a soccer tournament in Irajá at the end of the year. I said, ‘Look, I’ll give the keeper a little something to let me score.’ It was all set. But the Irajá field back then was really bad — there was a puddle on the penalty spot. When I went to shoot, the ball stopped on the spot, and I kept sliding all the way to the goal. And I still had to pay the keeper his little bonus.”

Good samba and well‑played soccer are practically a science: the right pass, the well‑crafted verse, the play and the catchy chorus. There’s a shortage of stars in both categories. “There’s a lack of passion — people don’t fall in love anymore,” he laments. “Nowadays, whoever has more followers is good. You don’t need to sing well, have quality, or anything,” Romário chimes in, recalling the days when he would materialize in the opponent’s box.

Bebeto joins the conversation. And when a star enters the game, it’s only proper to pass the ball to him. “I love samba. Too bad that as a sambista, I was a great player,” he says, passing the ball back to samba. “Many of my hits came from Bahian songwriters,” Zeca praises.

Samba and soccer demand a trusted partner. For Zeca, one of them was singer-songwriter Arlindo Cruz (1958‑2025). “Sometimes he’d come up with a tune, and I’d write the lyrics. Sometimes we’d do it all together. Whenever we met, a samba had to come out. The last time I saw him, I went to his house, and we wrote five sambas in one night,” the sambista says. For Romário, the best attacking partner he ever had was Bebeto, his teammate from the 1994 World Cup. “He was my best passer.”

The man born Jessé Gomes da Silva Filho, however, is a master at what he does. And he tends to bring luck. So much so that he was called up to participate in “Bate no Peito” (“Hit the Chest”), the anthem meant to rally the Brazilian national team during this World Cup. Produced by Papatinho, the song brought together stars like Ludmilla, João Gomes and Samuel Rosa, each aces in their musical styles: funk-pop, piseiro and a blend of reggae with Brit-pop and Clube da Esquina flavors.

Samba is an inexhaustible well of themes. But for such a rich genre, it has approached soccer with surprising shyness. One rarity is “Samba Rubro‑Negro (O Mais Querido)” by Wilson Batista, Jorge de Castro and Alvarez, which became a huge success in the voice of João Nogueira. João updated the lyrics, which originally said: “The most beloved has Dida, Henrique and Pavão, I prayed to Saint George for Mengo to be champion.” He replaced the old stars with Zico, Adílio and Adão.

The marriage of samba and soccer also produced beautiful songs of reflection and protest. João Nogueira (1941‑2000), father of singer Diogo Nogueira, wrote “Espelho” (“Mirror”), an autobiographical song about his interrupted dream of becoming a soccer player. “And I held onto the ball and thought that one day/ I’d become a star when I became a man/ One day I kicked badly and hurt my toe/ And without my old man to take away the fear/ That was one more dream left behind,” the lyrics read. Gonzaguinha (1945‑1991), in turn, used the nation’s passion to denounce the oppressive climate of the military dictatorship in “Geraldinos e Arquibaldos” (1975). “On the opponent’s field/ You must play calmly/ Looking for a gap/ So you can win/ Man, it’s a cat’s cradle/ Look at his claws/ It’s a cat’s cradle/ Better watch yourself,” the lyrics say, using metaphors (“geraldinos” and “arquibaldos” refer to those who can afford the grandstands versus the less wealthy crowd in the general section of Maracanã Stadium) to speak of the repression in the country.

Does Brazil’s national team stand a chance of winning the World Cup? “It’s been 24 years since we won this title, right? But that’s how it is — any moment now, we can wake up. When we wake up like that…” says Bebeto.

Zeca Pagodinho intends not to watch the World Cup from his home in Barra da Tijuca, but rather at his farm in Xerém, a district of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro. “It depends on where I am, doesn’t it? If I’m in Xerém, it’s better — I put the TV in the backyard and throw a party there. Beer is never lacking. Barbecue is never lacking. So everyone stays there. Win or lose, there’s a party. And that’s what’s good, right?” he jokes. If it’s at his home in Barra, the scene is different. “It’s another vibe — the family, my son’s friends.” The four‑time champions don’t mind Zeca’s lack of interest in their profession. “He’s Zeca. Zeca can do whatever the hell he wants,” Romário sums up.

Grammy-winning songwriter Talay Riley has died in a stabbing in London, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.

The 35-year-old born Mark Orabiyi had songwriting credits on tracks by Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Khalid, FLO, H.E.R. and more.

Orabiyi was found with stab wounds at a residence in Silvertown, east London, on Friday morning (June 5). He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. A second victim, a man in his 20s, is also being treated for stab wounds, but his injuries are not life-threatening, the police confirmed to the Billboard U.K.

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of murder. A 27-year-old man has been released on bail pending further inquiries, and a man aged 24 and woman aged 25 have been released with no further action.

Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, from the Metropolitan Police, said in a statement: “Our investigation continues at pace. I would like to appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time of this incident to speak to police.

“We are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who might have CCTV or other footage from the morning of the incident that could assist our investigation.”

Riley’s songwriting credits include work by Spears (“Clumsy,” 2016), Lipa (“Last Dance,” 2016), Chris Brown (“Zero,” “Fine By Me,” 2016) and Khalid (“Young Dumb & Broke,” 2017). 

Alongside his brother Scribz Riley (born Michael Orabiyi), he had a songwriting credit on “Lights On” from H.E.R ‘s self-titled 2017 album; the LP won best R&B album at the 2018 Grammys and was also nominated for album of the year.

Scribz Riley paid tribute to his late brother in a message posted to Instagram. “You inspired so many people and your legacy will continue to live on through your music, your family, your friends, and everyone blessed enough to have known you,” he wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has reached out to me and my family, we appreciate you all. Even with everything you accomplished this was far too soon. Until we meet again.”

Kehlani was one of the artists to comment on the post, writing “big hugs,” while Khalid commented that he was “so sorry” and “sending so much love.” 

Charli xcx is hitting the road later this year for a North American arena tour in support of her upcoming new album, Music, Fashion, Film. The singer/actress announced the dates for the Live Nation-promoted outing on Monday morning (June 8), revealing that it will kick off on Sept. 11 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

underscores will provide support on the outing that will also feature a two-night stand at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, as well as stops in Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, San Diego, Los Angeles and Glendale, Ariz. before winding down on Oct. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

A Charli xcx artist presale will launch at 9 a.m. local time on Friday (June 12); you have to sign up here by 11 p.m. ET Wednesday (June 10) to participate, with no codes needed and access tied to your account. Remaining tickets will be available during a general onsale slated to open at one. p.m. local time on Friday here.

New for this tour are “Angel Tickets,” with a limited number of $20 seats slated to go on sale in August. Once the window opens, the tickets have to be purchased in pairs, with a maximum of two per order, with seats assigned together and revealed on the day of the show. A limited number of charity tickets will also be available for the first five rows at each venue, with 50% of the net proceeds from those tickets going to the Transgender Law Center.

So far, Charli has dropped the singles “SS26” and “Rock Music” from the album due out on July 24. The upcoming album’s artwork features a black and white photo of three pop culture pioneers whose disciplines are alluded to in the 11-track LP’s title: The Velvet Underground’s John Cale; fashion designer Marc Jacobs; and movie director Martin Scorsese. Music, Fashion, Film is the singer’s first solo studio album since 2024’s global breakthrough brat, which rocketed Charli to mainstream success, with the album peaking at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Check out the dates for Charli xcx’s 2026 North American arena tour below.