<p>As World Cup fever takes hold across the New York metropolitan area this summer, an<a href="https://www.sps.nyu.edu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-sports-business.html"> MS in Sports Business</a> student and two alumni have been selected from a pool of over one million applicants to serve as volunteers for one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2026.</p> <p>Each NYU SPS volunteer embodies the global excitement surrounding the competition: current MS candidate Gongpu Nan hails from China, alum Khalifa Niasse from Senegal, and alum Gustavo Giusti from Brazil. Giusti is working behind the scenes in VIP hospitality as a photo ops ambassador for On Location Events; Nan is supporting fan engagement and watch‑party operations at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ; while Niasse is serving as a host city ambassador at Brookfield Place, guiding visitors, supporting celebrity appearances, and even teaching soccer rules to new fans.</p> <p>&quot;A few days ago I received an email to be the photo ops ambassador inside the VIP lounges,” shares Gustavo Giusti, who returns to his native Brazil with his fiancé this fall to pursue a sports business career back home. &quot;I'm starting to get excited!&quot; After working for Brooklyn FC's women's team, Giusti is particularly passionate about promoting women's sports in his homeland, which hosts the Women's World Cup in 2027.</p>

<p>Prior to attending NYU SPS, volunteer Gongpu Nan worked for a sports media company in China. At the Tisch Institute, an internship afforded Nan the opportunity to work at Brooklyn's Barclay Center. &quot;It's a different feeling when you're standing in the stadium,&quot; notes Nan, who earned his undergraduate degree from Beijing Sports University before pursuing his master’s degree. &quot;You can watch the fans' engagement. You can watch all the reaction, all the engagement. It's so amazing. And I think that's what I want to do after I graduate from this program.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I was over the moon when I got accepted to the program,&quot; says Khalifa Niasse of his own acceptance into the master’s program. &quot;I got to see what happens behind the scenes when a team makes decisions that not only affect what happens on the field, but the entire organization as a whole as well—and how everybody from the players, to the managers, to even the janitor, play a part in a team's success.&quot;</p> <p>We’d like to congratulate our Tisch Institute World Cup volunteers on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! And if you’re interested in a career in the ever-evolving global sports industry that impacts millions of people and generates billions of dollars annually worldwide, explore opportunities at the <a href="https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/preston-robert-tisch-institute-for-global-sport.html">Preston Robert Tisch Institute of Global Sport</a>.</p>