The brightest lights at the World Cup are the stars, but the people who truly hold the whole party up are the ones who never make it on camera — the volunteers. This tournament has about 65,000 volunteers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the largest volunteer program in FIFA’s history.
In Philadelphia, roughly 3,000 volunteers are spread across the stadium and the Lemon Hill fan fest. Their stories are wonderful: Frederick Karanja, originally from Kenya and living in Delaware, drives over trip after trip, saying, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. The World Cup is finally so close to me.” Marcel Bedoya, from Colombia and living in the Lehigh Valley, faces a one to one-and-a-half hour drive each way, yet laughs, “It’s not really that bad, and it’s the World Cup, so I don’t mind at all.”
The best story belongs to Jessica Malone. She’s been hooked since the 1998 France World Cup, and this time she moved back to Philadelphia from Denver just to volunteer — and talked her mother, from rural Pennsylvania, into signing up too.
Most of these people don’t even have match tickets, yet they give their time to stand on the front line as a city’s “first smiling face.” Next time someone kindly points you the way at the stadium, remember — it might just be them.
Sources: Billy Penn (Philadelphia volunteers report, 2026-06-10); FIFA official volunteer program.
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