Jax State Graduate Student Gains Global Experience Working FIFA World Cup

07/23/2026

Sport Industry master's student Jordan Gilbert helps deliver the world's largest sporting event while building skills for a career in the sports industry. 

By Brett Buckner 

For most sports fans, the FIFA World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime event to attend. For Jacksonville State University graduate student Jordan Gilbert, it became a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help bring the world's biggest sporting event to life. 

Jordan spent more than a month — June 4 through July 9 — in Houston working as an event executive for Octagon, a sports marketing agency. Houston served as one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, welcoming seven matches at NRG Stadium, officially renamed Houston Stadium for the tournament. 

For Jordan, a 24-year-old Sports Management master's student who graduated last December with a Communication degree, the World Cup wasn't just a job. It was a crash course in global sports culture, event execution and the kind of real-world experience she hopes will launch her career in event planning or event management. 

"It was real-world experience," she said, "but really more like a whole world experience." 

Jordan's role as an event executive placed her squarely at the center of the World Cup's fan-experience events. Her team was split between the Fan Festival and the stadium Footprint, a bustling area outside Houston Stadium where fans gathered before and after matches. 

"I was a floater, so I was able to do both," she said. "I was able to go into the stadium and watch the games." 

Her group worked with brand ambassadors, serving as their point of contact while distributing fan bands, guiding crowds and helping keep thousands of fans moving through the venue. 

Jordan and her colleagues tracked inventory, packaged and distributed fan bands, and handled setup and breakdown throughout the event. 

The work was steady, often intense and always unpredictable. 

"I got a lot of insight on the pace of things," she said, "from getting up early to working late, paying close attention to detail, and being able to communicate with different people all speaking different languages." 

Across several sweltering Houston afternoons, Jordan found herself being cussed out in Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish — sometimes all within the same hour. Fans were frustrated that the doors weren't open, furious that the coveted fan bands had run out, and furious that she wasn't able to magically produce more. Those were just the languages she recognized. 

Jordan couldn't understand most of the words hurled her way, but she understood, even appreciated, the passion. Besides, it wasn't personal. It was soccer. 

"I remember asking fans, 'Now what are they saying?' and getting responses like, 'Oh, you don't want to know,'" she said. "I laugh about that often." 

Jordan generally worked 40-hour weeks with two days off, though they were rarely consecutive. If she was assigned to the stadium, her day started around 6:30 a.m. with setup and inventory. The Footprint closed 30 minutes before kickoff. 

"That's when we were able to have our downtime," she said. "We would go into the stadium, get food. That was about two hours, when it closed for the duration of the game." 

After the final whistle, the second session began. Fans poured out of the stadium, rushing toward the fan band lines. That's when things got lively. Portugal and Mexico fans were the most intense, Jordan said. Their fan bands were the most coveted, and when supplies ran out, tempers flared. 

"They would be outside waiting," she said. "They would cuss us out in different languages, trying to get us to open the doors early." 

Sometimes the situation escalated to the point that staff needed police escorts to leave the stadium. 

"We had to get police escorts multiple times," she said, "because it would get so chaotic." 

Jordan's day generally ended around 6 p.m., only to start all over again the next day. 

She learned about the opportunity through a GroupMe for Black sports business professionals offering positions to work World Cup events. 

She applied immediately and within a month was on a flight to Houston. 

"Everything was paid for," Jordan said. "We had flight, housing. We did have per diem while we were there. So, everything was just kind of taken care of." 

Houston wasn't her only option. There were 11 other locations, but the choice was easy. After graduating from junior college, she had been recruited by a Houston school to play volleyball, so she was already somewhat familiar with the city. 

"I've always been curious about Texas, and I am drawn to the Southern feel while still being a big city," she said. "And I love Megan Thee Stallion, so it's a win-win for me." 

Despite the occasional madness, Jordan's memories aren't defined by the multilingual yelling. One of her most meaningful moments came during a quiet pause at the stadium Footprint. 

A woman approached her and asked if she could pray in a corner of the space. 

"As a believer in Jesus," Jordan said, "I appreciated the discipline that she had while hundreds of people were walking and enjoying the game watch party." 

Moments like that reminded her that the World Cup wasn't just a sporting event. It was a global gathering. 

"It was just so many different cultures, all coming together," Jordan said. "We were just making sure that we were respectful to everyone." 

Jordan met people from Portugal, Japan and Saudi Arabia. She met the DJ for the San Antonio Spurs. She met professionals from Houston's partnership networks. She even met a fellow Jax State alum on her flight home. 

"It was all about networking and meeting people," she said. 

Moments like that reminded her that the World Cup wasn't just a sporting event. It was a global gathering. 

Before arriving in Houston, Jordan wasn't much of a soccer fan, save for attending the occasional Jax State match. But the World Cup changed her perspective. 

"I would go to a game as a fan, even if I didn't know the team that was playing," she said, "because the fans were just so fun and had so much passion for their teams and for their country." 

She quickly learned that Mexico, Japan and Congo supporters were the most energetic. 

"They danced, chanted, celebrated, and really created a fun atmosphere," she said. "It was a literal party outside of the stadium." 

Jordan left Houston with nearly five weeks of hands-on experience at one of the world's largest sporting events, new professional connections, and a renewed appreciation for the power of sports to bring people together. 

She also found her rhythm, built relationships, explored the city, and fell in love with Houston, where she hopes to move one day. Most importantly, the experience gave her greater clarity about the career she hopes to pursue. "Sports have a way of bringing people together, whether it's a rivalry or having an emotional stake in the team," Jordan said. "I love creating and cultivating an energetic environment. Sports experiences are unmatched."