Carlos Santana to do World Cup closing anthem

Former Tijuana guitarist Carlos Santana will perform July 13 at the closing ceremony of the 2014 World Cup at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana Stadium.

A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Santana was a Kennedy Center honoree in December. He will team at the World Cup with Wyclef Jean, Swedish DJ Avicii and Brazilian music star Alexandre Pires. Together, they will perform the song "Dar um Jeito (We Will Find A Way)." It has been selected as the closing theme of the World Cup by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the organization that oversees the World Cup.

The song was co-written by Jean, Ash Pournouri, Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub. It will be included on the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Album, which will also feature "We Are One (Ole Ola)" by Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte. The three will perform the song June at the World Cup opening ceremony in Sao Paulo.

The World Cup final is often billed as the globe's most watched championship game. The 2010 final drew an audience of 909.6 million TV viewers alone, while a total of more more than 3.2 billion people watched at least part of the 64 games played in the 2010 World Cup. According to FIFA, the average was 188.4 million viewers for each game.

By comparison, this year's Super Bowl drew 111.5 million viewers. Santana, coincidentally, performed as part of the 2003 Super Bowl, which was held at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. The lineup also included Dixie Chicks, No Doubt, Shania Twain and Sting.

All four of the featured artists on "Dar um Jeito ("We Will Find A Way)" offered statements about the song in a press release issued Friday by FIFA and Sony Music.

"It is an honor to take part in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and have 'Dar um Jeito (We Will Find A Way)' selected as the (closing) anthem," Santana said. "Along with my brothers, Wyclef, Avicii and Alexandre Pires, we look forward to performing the song in Rio de Janeiro in July and sharing this message of light and hope on the FIFA World Cup stage."

Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, who rose to fame alongside Lauryn Hill as a member of The Fugees, said: "Despite the fact that I was born in a place where darkness at times steals the sunshine, where rain often turns to floods and children often cannot be found, I have always found a way to sing with joy....

'Dar um Jeito' is dedicated to all those searching for the light....knowing that they too, shall soon find a way."

Avicii, who was hospitalized Friday in Miami with a blocked gall bladder, offered a partial description of "Dar um Jeito," saying: "I gave it a 'Samba meets my dance music' sound, which works perfectly for the positive spirit of the song... To write for the official closing anthem of the FIFA World Cup is a huge honor, as it's the biggest event I can remember growing up."

Pires expressed hope that the song, like the sport itself, will leap borders.

"I am extremely happy to have been selected to be part of the Official 2014 FIFA World Cup Anthem," he said. "I love soccer, and singing in the final with so many important international musicians by my side is a great honor. Besides that, I think that the richness of rhythms from our countries will make the World Cup even more beautiful."