Jennifer Lopez pulls out of World Cup opening performance

Superstar Jennifer Lopez will miss out on joining rapper Pitbull and singer Claudia Leitte in Brazil on Thursday (12Jun14) after pulling out of a planned performance of the trio's official 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer anthem at the competition's opening ceremony.

The trio recorded the track We Are One (Ole Ola) for the global soccer competition, but FIFA officials have announced that Lopez will no longer be able to take part in the World Cup kick-off event due to unspecified "production issues".

The singer has yet to comment on the news, but she has been busy promoting her forthcoming album A.K.A. in and around her native New York in the past few days. And there's personal drama in her life - Lopez has reportedly split from dancer boyfriend Casper Smart.

Pitbull and Brazilian vocalist Leitte will take the stage at the Arena de Sao Paulo on Thursday before host nation Brazil takes on Croatia in the first match of the World Cup.

The three musicians performed We Are One (Ole Ola) together for the first time on TV at the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas last month (May14).