At every major football festival — the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, the Champions League finals — invisible heroes appear alongside the players on the field. Volunteers. Thousands of people who do not receive a salary but spend their time, nerves, and strength to ensure the tournament runs smoothly. They welcome fans at airports, distribute bracelets at the entrance, help journalists find the press center, and smile even when they are tired. Without them, the World Cup would fall apart on the first day. In this article, we will tell you who these fan workaholics are, why they do it, and how to become part of the World Cup volunteer family. A Little History: How It All Began Volunteers first appeared en masse at the Olympic Games. The practice of attracting volunteers to the World Cup began with the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where a huge number of personnel were needed to serve 9 stadiums. The official FIFA volunteer program started at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Then 15,000 volunteers amazed the world with their organization. Since then, no World Cup has been without volunteers. There were 17,500 of them at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 20,000 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and more than 25,000 are expected at the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The oldest volunteers are pensioners (one was 86 years old!), and the youngest are students (from 18 years old). All of them are united by their love for football. Who Can Become a Volunteer FIFA sets a minimum age of 18 years old at the start of the tournament. Education, profession, language skills are pluses. It is mandatory: proficiency in English (at least at a basic level), knowledge of the local language of the host country (for Russians it is Russian, for Canadians — English/French, for Mexicans — Spanish). Also important are communication skills, stress resistance, readiness to work 8-12 hours a day. Volunteers can be citizens of the host country as well ... Read more