I have found a problem about proving whether $L^{|2|}=\{w_1w_2 \text{ | } w_1,w_2\in L, |w_1|=|w_2|\}$ is context-free or not, knowing that $L$ is regular

So far I know that:

 - There are examples where $L$ is regular and $L^{|2|}$ is regular (for example $L=\{a,b\}$)
- There are examples where $L$ is regular and $L^{|2|}$ is not (for example $L=\{w| w=a^N \text{ or } w= b^N\ , N\ge0\}$)

But I am not sure how to prove that it's context-free regardless of which regular language I use. I have found similar problems with the same language without imposing restrictions on which words to use, but I am not sure if those apply to this one.