Dua Lipa dismisses reports she will perform at Qatar World Cup

The 27-year-old singer maintains she will not visit Qatar until ‘it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host’

Dua Lipa has dismissed speculation she will perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

The 27-year-old singer added she would not visit the country until it has “fulfilled all the human rights pledges” it made when it was awarded the right to host the tournament in December 2010.

She said on Instagram: “There is currently a lot of speculation that I will be performing at the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar.

“I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform. 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.”

She is currently in Australia for her ongoing 10-month Future Nostalgia tour, with the tournament starting next Monday.

The Qatar World Cup has consistently attracted controversy, with homosexuality illegal and economic migrants working for low pay and under poor conditions while constructing the stadiums.

The country’s sweltering summer conditions also forced the traditional June and July dates to switch to November and December.

Sepp Blatter, the disgraced former Fifa chief who awarded Qatar the competition, conceded this week that it was a mistake to award the tournament to the country.

“It’s a country that’s too small,” Blatter said. “Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”