As teams across the world battled it out on the soccer pitch in hopes of earning their spot among the 48 qualifying nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a much quieter selection process was going on behind the scenes.
Beginning last year, more than 1 million people applied to be FIFA World Cup volunteers, “trying out” to serve in one of 23 roles covering areas such as ceremonies, language services and various liaison positions in the three host countries, the U.S., Mexico and Canada. After a competitive process that included background reviews, evaluations and interviews, FIFA selected 65,000 volunteers, representing a single-digit acceptance rate for the many hopefuls.
For Bander Almohammadi, g’17, SJD’23, who was selected as a Kansas City ambassador, the opportunity to welcome international visitors to the heart of the Midwest is a way to pay back the welcome that was extended to him more than a decade ago.
With only a basic command of English at the time, Almohammadi moved to Lawrence with his young family in 2014 from his hometown of Medina, Saudi Arabia, to pursue a law degree. In Lawrence and later in Kansas City, where he went on to earn his Juris Doctor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the locals warmly welcomed and supported him. It’s an experience that has stayed with him, and now that he calls the region home, he wants to offer the same kindness to others.
“Kansas City and Lawrence opened the door for me globally,” says Almohammadi, who worked at UMKC before his current position as an attorney with KU’s Legal Services for Students. “The whole community welcomed me when I came to the United States, helping me to become who I am today. And that’s why I’d love to do anything to give back to the community and help Kansas City and Lawrence show what we have in this area. That’s something that’s still in my heart.”
As a Kansas City ambassador for FIFA, Almohammadi is based at KCHouse on the Country Club Plaza, a hospitality venue for global leaders, civic stakeholders and business partners. Throughout the tournament, which will have a presence in Kansas City into July, Almohammadi will help welcome visitors from dozens of countries, doing his part to showcase the city as a prime location for long-term investment, job growth and business expansion. Ahead of his first volunteer shift on June 19, Almohammadi was ready to embrace visitors and highlight what Kansas City has to offer.
“As someone who came to this area, I understand how important a welcoming community can be,” he says. “Kansas City made a strong impression on me. I am proud to represent it. I look forward to helping visitors experience the cultural hospitality, generosity and the opportunities that make Kansas City such a great and special place.”
Outside of his ambassador duties, Almohammadi has joined local events in Lawrence—where the Algerian National Team selected KU’s Rock Chalk Park as its World Cup base camp—in capacities just as important to him: proud Jayhawk and Lawrence resident.
He brought his family, including his four children who have grown up mostly or entirely in Lawrence, to an event by earthwork artist Stan Herd in collaboration with the Lied Center and Score Lawrence, a coalition formed to prepare the community for the tournament. On June 13, locals and Algeria fans gathered at a quarter-acre Algerian flag, formed from soil, grass, limestone, coco shell, wood mulch and bricks on Lied Center grounds.
Almohammadi, whose first language is Arabic, says he wanted to attend to help show what makes the city unique. “Showing that in Lawrence, we have different people from around the globe,” he says.
The event was one of many that have shone an international spotlight on Lawrence, generating multiple stories in global media outlets about the wholehearted welcome the city has given the Algerian team and its supporters. At a community practice and youth clinic at Rock Chalk Park on June 11, the KU band played the Algerian national anthem, green Algerian scarves draped from their instruments, to an enthusiastic crowd of Algerian fans and local supporters. Big Jay and Baby Jay, sporting T-shirts with the Algerian flag’s red star and crescent, posed for photos with children and adults alike.
The World Cup matches being played at Arrowhead Stadium, temporarily renamed Kansas City Stadium for the tournament, and the watch parties and other events at the FIFA Fan Festival Kansas City at the National WWI Museum and Memorial have likewise represented a coming together of people from all over the world.
Though Almohammadi is a huge soccer fan—he has played for more than 30 years—he says his favorite aspect of the World Cup is the international community it creates. While there will undoubtedly be comebacks, upsets, shutouts, shootouts and tears of all kinds before one team ultimately lifts the golden trophy, Almohammadi says what matters most is the chance to demonstrate respect, love and dignity to people of all backgrounds.
“The entire world comes together around a shared passion for soccer, and it’s incredible to see different cultures, languages, traditions, all celebrating the sport together,” he says. “That is something wonderful.”
Rochelle Valverde, c’08, j’15, is staff writer for Crimson & Blue.
