Jennifer Lopez pulls out of World Cup opening ceremony

JENNIFER Lopez has canned her World Cup performance just days after it was revealed she split from boyfriend Casper Smart.

This June 4, 2014 photo released by Starpix shows singer Jennifer Lopez performing at Orchard Beach in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx borough of New York. (AP Photo/Starpix, Kristina Bumphrey)

JENNIFER Lopez has pulled out of the World Cup opening ceremony in Brazil four days before the tournament kicks off.

The pop star, who recorded the official World Cup song We Are One with rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, had been due to perform with them at the opening ceremony in Sao Paulo but had to cancel, soccer’s governing body FIFA said.

“For production issues, Jennifer Lopez, one of the artists of the official song We Are One, will not be able to perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony,” it said in a statement.

The announcement comes just days after it was revealed Lopez split from boy toy Casper Smart, amid rumours he had been cheating on the singer with a transsexual model.

No show ... Jennifer Lopez has pulled out of the World Cup opening in Brazil. Picture: AP

The 25-minute opening ceremony will feature 600 artists including acrobatic gymnasts, trampolinists, martial arts-style capoeira performers and stilt walkers.

The grand finale will be a performance of We Are One — now minus Lopez — accompanied by Brazilian drumming collective Olodum.

Pitbull did not let J-Lo’s withdrawal dampen his enthusiasm.

“To be performing We Are One to the world, especially in such a beautiful country like Brazil, is going to be a lot of fun. But more than this, it is going to show the world that music is the universal language,” he said in a statement released by FIFA.

Lopez also missed the January event where Pitbull and Leitte unveiled plans for the song alongside FIFA officials in Rio de Janeiro.

More than 60,000 people will be in Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena to watch the ceremony and kick-off match between Brazil and Croatia. Around a billion people are expected to tune in on TV worldwide.

Originally published as Jennifer Lopez pulls out of World Cup opening ceremony