The Students Behind the Whistle: International Talent Powers FIFA World Cup 2026 Operations
For a small group of international USF Sport Management graduate students, their work in sports wasn’t just a resume bullet, it was proof that leaving their native homes to explore U.S. sports would provide a professional opportunity of a lifetime.
As FIFA World Cup 2026™ swept across stadiums in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, students Tyler Feng (China), Ruiqi Pan (China), and Javier Prado (Peru) found themselves inside the operation: at ticket windows soothing anxious fans, in VIP lounges coordinating hospitality, and on the field managing match-day logistics. Their stories offer a window into the World Cup off the pitch, and what it means for international students building careers in sport management, often thousands of miles from where they grew up.
For Ruiqi Pan ’27, the World Cup meant six matches in the Bay Area as a Ticketing Volunteer, often the first face fans saw before entering the stadium. Most who approached the ticket office were already stressed, dealing with an issue standing between them and the match. Pan's job was to resolve it, and watch anxiety turn to excitement.
“The most rewarding moments weren't just solving a ticket issue,” Pan says. “They were seeing the relief on a fan's face turn into excitement, knowing they could finally enjoy the match they had been looking forward to.” They reminded Pan that, “behind every ticket is a story.” Sports matter to people beyond competition, that sports represent stories, families, dreams, and chances to provide lifetime memories.
A year after arriving in Los Angeles to study at the Sport Management Southern California program, Tyler Feng supported FIFA World Cup VIP Hospitality at SoFi Stadium games, from guest check-in and fan services to lounge operations and exclusive field access.
Feng joined the Sport Management Southern California program with the broad intent of learning the scope and scale of the American sports industry. However, what impressed him most about the World Cup wasn't the event's scale but the people who shaped it, crediting teammates and mentors for showing him how “unforgettable fan experiences are built through countless small moments behind the scenes.” The tournament, he notes, “strengthened my passion for event operations, partnerships, and fan experience.”
Javier Prado ’26, working a FIFA World Cup while pursuing his master's degree once felt like an impossible goal. “I moved to the U.S. chasing what felt like an impossible dream,” he says. Over the past three months, as he completed his graduate degree, that dream became his job title: Deputy Venue Logistics Manager at the Los Angeles Stadium, overseeing logistics, pitch setup, team equipment, and interview areas for eight World Cup matches.
Prado described the team he worked alongside as one that “quickly became a family.” Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he wrote: “Maybe utopias aren't impossible after all. Maybe they're just dreams waiting for us to work hard enough to reach them.”
A tournament, and a case study, in international talent
Individually, Feng, Prado, and Pan achieved personal milestones. Together, they exemplify the mission of USF Sport Management, to prepare students for work in the sports industry through hands-on experience. FIFA World Cup 2026 offered a rare opportunity: a chance to work inside an event of that scale before graduation, alongside industry professionals and fellow students who, in several posts, are described as becoming lasting mentors and friends.
For international students, access to marquee sporting events across California, from the FIFA World Cup to the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, offers a rare head start most degree programs can't replicate. For USF's Sport Management, the tournament served as proof of concept: evidence that the pipeline from classroom to World Cup operations room isn't just theoretical. The matches are over, but the credentials, the connections, and the confidence these students built along the way look likely to outlast the summer.
