"We wanted Shakira": BTS World Cup song announcement leaves internet divided 

BTS fans finally have reason to celebrate. According to Korean media reports, the popular South Korean boy band is set to release a song for the FIFA World Cup 2022 to be held in Qatar in November and December. The song will be a part of a collaboration with automobile company Hyundai, who will be the official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup this year.

As per reports, BTS' World Cup track will be released in the second half of 2022.

However, this announcement has left the internet divided. While it has created a surge of excitement among BTS fans or ARMY, as they like to be called, some netizens feel that the band is not the right choice for the occasion.

Netizens are of the opinion that Shakira would have been a better choice. For many soccer and music fans, beating Shakira's Waka Waka will be tough. Often considered the best world cup anthem, Waka Waka was the official soundtrack for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.

The song peaked at No. 1 in multiple countries, and No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100. The official music video has over 3 billion views on YouTube and is the 28th most viewed video on the platform.

However, BTS loyalists too have taken to Twitter to express their excitement and love.

One user pointed out that the FIFA project is a huge opportunity for the boy band to make history and gain global appreciation.

The announcement also comes as a surprise since the band had announced earlier this year that they would be taking a "hiatus'' so that band members can pursue their solo music careers. J-Hope was the first to confirm his solo album Jack in the Box.

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BTS to collaborate with Hyundai for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Campaign "Goal of the Century"

According to media reports, the K-pop band will not only release a song, but will also collaborate with Hyundai for their FIFA World Cup global campaign, "Goal of the Century." The campaign calls for sustainability, with the backdrop of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

According to Hyundai:

"With our “Goal of the Century” initiative, we are using the power of football to encourage everyone to come together to score one big goal – to create a united world for sustainability. For us, sustainability means more than just making a greener tomorrow. It means thinking about the future of our planet."

The campaign will also feature football legend Steven Gerrard, Korean national soccer team player Park Jisung, UNESCO ambassador Nadia Nadeem, famous sculptor Lorenzo Quinn and fashion designer Jeremy Scott, as well as eminent personalities from the fields of football, art, fashion, music, entertainment and climate activism.

Hyundai has amped up their efforts to promote the campaign and increase visibilty by hosting numerous events that allow fans to watch the World Cup matches in person, while sharing their pledge to protect the environment.

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BTS announces hiatus to focus on individual music careers

On 14th June 2022, the K-pop sensations announced during the FESTA dinner that they would be going on a hiatus after 9 long years to focus on their solo careers.

RM claimed that the K-pop idolisation trend does not allow artists to focus on their own careers as it involves "constant work."

“I always thought that BTS was different from other groups, but the problem with K-pop and the whole idol system is that they don’t give you time to mature. You have to keep producing music and keep doing something.”

BTS members RM, Jin, Jungkook, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope and V have all released music as solo artistes.