When the FIFA World Cup returned to the United States for the first time in 32 years, Texas hosted more matches than any other state. Among those helping welcome fans from across the globe to Dallas and Houston were sport management students from Texas A&M University.

Some students volunteered at match-day stadium operations, while others landed paid internships at Houston’s FIFA Fan Festival, a tournament-long event that screened all 104 matches and drew close to half a million fans.

Fans pack the FIFA Fan Festival grounds in Houston to watch a World Cup match. (Photo courtesy of Harris County-Houston Sports Authority)

“That in and of itself was so advantageous for students,” said Dr. Alex Sullins, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management. “Not having to fly across the country or find lodging provided students who had friends or family in Dallas or Houston with lower-cost opportunities.”

The department’s connection to FIFA started in 2025 when fellow Aggie Fernando Palomo ‘95 connected faculty with FIFA administrators, leading to students volunteering at the FIFA Club World Cup in Nashville and later visiting FIFA’s Miami office. By the time the 2026 tournament kicked off, students were placed across the event in multiple roles.

On the volunteer side, students worked match-day operations at stadiums in both host cities, assisting with fan experience, security and logistics. The Bryan-College Station Eagle profiled several of those students during the group stage, including Raiyan Riaz and Janelle King, who worked shifts at Dallas Stadium and Houston Stadium.

Running the Fan Festival

At Houston’s Fan Festival, the work looked different. John Schriever, professor of the practice in the department, built the ticketing platform for the festival’s four VIP hospitality areas and brought on a team of student interns to help with the ticket/customer service process. Schriever spent 23 years with the Houston Texans and after retiring, he joined Texas A&M’s Sports Management faculty in 2024. For him, the value for the students was straightforward.

“You can see something from beginning to end,” said Schriever. “They get a feel for how events are set up and then executed. It also gives them exposure to customer service and how to interact with fans face to face.”

Students sold tickets and took care of VIPs at the festival, including online streamer IShowSpeed. (Photo courtesy of Harris County-Houston Sports Authority)

Kweku Mensah, a second-year sport management graduate student, managed the operation day-to-day as staff manager of the VIP Hospitality sections. He oversaw 20 ticketing interns, coordinated with Ticketmaster on equipment and worked shifts that started 90 minutes before each day’s first kickoff. Before the festival opened, Mensah worked alongside Schriever selling tickets to businesses, distributing credentials to corporate sponsors and booking out VIP sections.

When the tournament kicked off, the scale of it hit immediately. The opening match between Mexico and South Africa packed the festival and set the tone for the rest of the summer.

“Both sets of fans brought an insane amount of passion to the Fan Festival,” said Mensah, “and truly seeing how the World’s game brings different groups of people together was something special.”

Evelyn Tidwell, a senior sport management major, and Nick Rogers, a May 2026 graduate, worked alongside Mensah as ticketing and hospitality interns. Their team handled credential checks, wristband distribution and guest services, often serving as the first point of contact for fans arriving at the festival.

Student interns staff the VIP Hospitality check-in at Houston’s FIFA Fan Festival.

Houston’s unpredictable weather forced the team to think on its feet throughout the tournament. Lightning delays and sudden downpours meant coordinating across departments, adjusting operations and keeping fans safe, all while maintaining the experience people came for.

“Seeing how the team handled those situations taught me the value of communication, teamwork and thinking quickly under pressure,” said Tidwell. “I also learned that every interaction matters. Whether I was helping a guest, working with security or communicating with another event employee, each conversation contributed to how smoothly the festival operated.”

Rogers walked away from the tournament with a clear picture of where he wants to take his career. After weeks of working the Fan Festival and seeing what goes into running a global event firsthand, Rogers said the experience confirmed that “my place in my career will definitely be working in sports.”

What Comes Next

The department does not plan to let the momentum stop here. Sullins said the World Cup opened a pipeline that he wants to keep building on. Events like the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the Gold Cup are already on his radar, and the relationships the department built with FIFA through Fernando Palomo give students a foundation that did not exist two years ago.

“The professional experiences will help them decide if working in event management is something they want to pursue,” said Sullins.

Schriever agreed, adding that nothing replicates what students gain from being embedded in a live operation at this scale. The classroom gives them the language and the frameworks, but events like this show them whether the work fits.

For Mensah, it did.

“Before this internship I knew that I wanted to work in sport, but I had no ticketing or boots on the ground big event management experience which really hindered my vision of what I wanted to do,” said Mensah. “Now that I have this experience I feel comfortable entering any position to get my career started in sport.”