Inside the World Cup: The Business Behind the Biggest Event on Earth

The FIFA World Cup isn’t just the world’s most watched sporting event—it’s one of the largest and most complex global business operations ever staged. For one week this summer, high school students will step inside that world in New York City, host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.
This immersive course explores how the World Cup actually works: the strategy, logistics, and creative industries that power a global tournament followed by billions of fans. Students will learn how cities prepare to host matches, how brands activate around the tournament, how media companies produce coverage for worldwide audiences, and how organizers manage security, operations, and fan experience on a massive scale.
 

But this is not a classroom-only experience.
Taking place just before the World Cup Final, the course uses New York City itself as a living laboratory. Students will get out into the city to explore fan zones, brand activations, media hubs, and other World Cup–related spaces, examining firsthand how a global sporting event transforms a host city.
Throughout the week students will build practical skills used across the sports industry, meeting industry professionals along the way and learning how major events are produced, promoted, and delivered at scale. Topics will include:

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  Mega-event operations and logistics
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  Sports marketing and global sponsorship
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  Broadcast and media production
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  Security and risk management
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  Fan engagement and experiential design
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  How host cities plan and capitalize on major events. 

Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0

You'll walk away with

• A rare opportunity: to study the business of the World Cup in the city hosting the Final—while the tournament is happening
• An NYU transcript showing grade(s) earned upon completion of the course (Please note: No college credit or certificate of completion is granted for this course.)

Ideal for

• High School Students who have completed grades 9, 10, 11
• High School Students interested in sports, media, business, events, or global culture