USF Alumni Help Kick Off FIFA World Cup 2026

Meghna Tare MS ‘03, chief sustainability officer for the North Texas FIFA World Cup (FWC) organizing committee, has been preparing for the event for two years.

Tare stepped into the role, bringing nearly 16 years of experience as the chief sustainability officer at the University of Texas at Arlington. While she is accustomed to managing large projects for a campus of over 40,000 students, the FIFA World Cup presented a larger challenge.

"The magnitude of this undertaking is truly astonishing," Tare said. "With a leading total of nine matches, it is akin to staging nine Super Bowls within a mere six weeks. When factoring in attractions like the Fan Festival, we are anticipating an extraordinary influx of 100,000 daily visitors.”

Tare is working with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and local businesses, on projects like community clean-up challenges with 26 north Texas cities and planting trees across the region. She works with her sustainability counterparts across 16 other host cities in North America to share ideas and information.

“The most difficult part about the process is the scale,” Tare said. “Ultimately, success will be measured not only by the matches played here, but how we raised the standard for sustainable sporting events — showing that economic growth, community celebration, and environmental responsibility can move forward together. I am a big ideas person and love bring various stakeholders together to address these challenges and work together.”

Tare’s drive has been evident since she made the move from India to pursue a master's degree in chemistry at USF. “Of the schools I researched, USF provided the most support for international students,” she said.

 “I felt so welcomed and supported by my professors," Tare said. "To this day, I maintain a close connection with my primary adviser, Professor Larry Margerum."

Margerum remembers Tare’s ambition. “Meghna was one of my most motivated MS in chemistry students and is now a leader with a great focus and desire to make things work. She wrote a two-part thesis on quite different topics way back in 2002, then pursued another MS degree (in environmental science) and was off to the races with a career in analytical thinking on environmental issues. She’s an ideal person for her current position with FIFA in Texas.”

Tare will wrap up her time on the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee in December, after collecting FWC data and publishing a sustainability report. And she continues to work at the intersection of sports and sustainability. Nine months ago, she accepted a position as an adviser to the Sport Management program at USF, where she’ll use her FWC experience to teach students about sustainability in sports.

“I’m so happy to return to USF in an advisory role,” she said. “I loved my time on the Hilltop.”

More USF alumni are part of the 2026 FWC effort, too.

Sport Management alum Ryan Morse MS ’15, an account director at global agency 160over90, is leading Coca-Cola’s experiential campaign for the 2026 World Cup, overseeing 32 events across the FIFA Fan Festivals and Stadium Fan Experiences in every host city.

Spencer Williams ’11 worked with the NCAA, navigating logistics, and that prepared him for the global stage as regional manager of arrivals and departures for FIFA World Cup 2026. He is responsible for key West Coast airports, including LAX, SFO, San Jose, and Seattle, overseeing arrivals and departures for teams, referees, and other FIFA guests. 

Gabby Turner ’06, Teresa Chan ’25, and Jack Wilbur ’25 are key members of the Bay Area Host Committee. Their work began with Super Bowl LX in February in San Francisco and Santa Clara and is now focused on the FIFA World Cup 2026. Turner is vice president of marketing and innovation for the committee.

Eve Mendez ’06, MA ’09 is fan operations manager for the west region of the FIFA World Cup 2026, overseeing events in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Mendez is using her background in pro sports with the Warriors and the 49ers to oversee staffing and logistics for FIFA.