History was made for Rice University, Houston, and the United States of America, and I am so pleased to have been part of it! The goal was to travel home to Nigeria for the Summer. Still, the second I realized that an epoch-making, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was being presented to me at my feet, I hopped on it. I instantly banished my initial idea of traveling home after a hectic Ph.D. Candidacy exam preparation and stayed in Houston to witness the record-breaking 2026 FIFA World Cup, jointly hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This was the largest and most-watched tournament in history, shattering dozens of major teams, individual, and operational records across its 104 matches. France’s Kylian Mbappe emerged as the all-time top goal scorer with a staggering 10 goals, bringing his career World Cup goals to 22 and surpassing Lionel Messi (my GOAT, and I painted him). It recorded the highest cumulative attendance, with 6.8 million spectators. France’s Michael Olise set a new benchmark with the most Assists in a single tournament with a total of 7 assists. Spain’s Unai Simón recorded 7 clean sheets, helping Spain to become the first champion to concede only a single goal during a successful campaign. Mexico City’s legendary Estadio Azteca officially became the first venue in history to host matches across three different World Cups (1970, 1986, and 2026). The tournament used massive NFL stadiums and featured 16 diverse host cities across four time zones. FIFA recorded an unprecedented 20 billion video views across digital platforms throughout the 39-day event. And finally, Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest of all time, set a milestone by becoming the oldest player to score a World Cup hat at 38 years and 357 days old.
Due to Rice’s role as a host-city partner, we, the Rice students, were assigned reserved volunteering slots, and I was fortunate to be among those selected to serve as a SAFE volunteer at NRG Stadium during the match at the FIFA Fan Festival at Shell Stadium. At NRG Stadium, I was assigned to scan tickets for fans and spectators. It was a tedious yet beautiful experience as I met and interacted with people from different walks of life and countries. I was able to express my French with some Cape Verdeans and learned more about other languages, countries, and continents. At Shell Stadium, I helped collect surveys from FIFA fans at the Fan Festival. This really helped improve my networking skills and further develop my people management skills. I also volunteered at the Rice stand at the Fan Festival, sharing information about Rice's programs with prospective students. On days when I did not cover any shifts, I toured the entire arena, played games, and picked up random swag, including a Bank of America-customized FIFA bracelet. While NRG Stadium provided a tenser, more serious workflow, the Fan Festival gave an opposite vibe. I made two vlogs that covered part of my experience as a FIFA volunteer; they can be found here and here.
Serving as a FIFA volunteer and experiencing the FIFA World Cup for the first time was a memorable event I will never forget in a hurry, as it was also a new learning experience for me.
¡Muchas Gracias!