World Cup mania envelops Rotary

Members in the 16 World Cup host cities in North America plan events to showcase Rotary and foster international understanding

By Arnold R. Grahl

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Wing-Kai To grew up watching international soccer and idolizing its stars. As a child in Hong Kong, he followed players like Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Cruyff, and Diego Maradona.

Now living in the United States, To is a member of the Rotary Club of The Bridgewaters, Massachusetts, USA, and no less enthusiastic about international soccer. He hopes he’ll be selected as one of hundreds of volunteers when the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to Gillette Stadium near Boston.

“I will be excited to take on one of the two dozen roles supporting the tournament,” says To, a professor of history at Bridgewater State University. “I have already secured tickets to the match between Scotland and Morocco and am getting ready to cheer for both teams.”

The World Cup, the most-watched sporting event in the world, will be hosted by three countries for the first time. An expanded field of 48 teams will play from 11 June to 19 July in the metro areas of 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. In Canada, those areas are Toronto and Vancouver. In Mexico, they are Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey. And in the U.S., they are Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.

The games provide a unique opportunity for Rotary clubs to offer hospitality and promote Rotary’s work on the global stage.

Larry Lunsford, Rotary International’s president-nominee, began connecting Rotary leaders across host cities in late 2025 in an effort to promote Rotary-led events before and during the tournament. Since then, a host city leadership committee made up largely of past district governors has been meeting to ensure that Rotary has a strong, coordinated presence in every World Cup host city.

Offering hospitality

Lunsford is encouraging districts to use Rotary Friendship Exchanges to connect Rotary soccer fans from around the world with local members willing to host them.

“It’s the top of the mountain of the way Rotary districts in the World Cup cities can engage with this exciting event,” says Lunsford, a member of the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri, USA. “I am proud of what we have going on in Kansas City, and I am hopeful that districts in each of the areas will get involved.”

Rotary Friendship Exchanges support Rotary’s peacebuilding efforts through in-person and virtual visits. The exchanges offer Rotary members and their family and friends the opportunity to visit and host one another in their homes and clubs. Rotary Friendship Exchange chairs in each district decide on the details. (Download a quick guide to Friendship Exchange.)

Ben Martin, the Rotary Friendship Exchange chair for District 6040, which includes part of the Kansas City metro area, began contacting his counterparts in Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Curacao, Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Tunisia — countries whose teams will either play in the Kansas City area or have set up training facilities nearby. So far, 20 members from two districts in Argentina plan to participate in exchanges. The district has found about two dozen members willing to host them.

Not every district has a Friendship Exchange chair, but clubs have other ways of showing hospitality to visiting members. Local and visiting members can join community-led viewing parties and attend the many World Cup-related events together.

“It’s going to be fascinating for us. Argentina is the defending World Cup champion,” said Stephanie Meyer, a member of the host city leadership committee and a past governor of District 5710, which includes part of the Kansas City metro area. “We’re expecting a lot of excitement around the game.”

Promoting peace

Some members are working with community leaders to erect peace poles before or during the World Cup. The city government of Atlanta has agreed to install a pole there, with state and city officials in attendance. Rotarians in all three World Cup venues in Mexico are also planning peace pole ceremonies. In District 7950 (Rhode Island and Massachusetts, USA), Rotarians have formed a peace and World Cup committee to organize events in conjunction with the seven matches being held near Boston.

Fighting human trafficking

Large sporting events like the World Cup can lead to increased incidents of human trafficking. Ending this practice has been the focus of groups like the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery.

With help from the action group, the Rotary Club of Roswell, Georgia, USA, near Atlanta, is training local law enforcement officers and service providers to recognize the signs of trafficking and assist people who may be trafficked. A candlelight vigil is planned in a major Atlanta park, and volunteers from the shipping company UPS will join Rotary members and other participants in packing 50,000 bags of essential supplies for people who have been trafficked.

In Seattle, Rotarians are partnering with Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking to provide specialized training and support to companies located near matches and other events around the state. In Mexico, members in Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey are collaborating with the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery to train service providers and prevent trafficking.

“Human trafficking is just one component of our World Cup planning,” says Dave McCleary, global chair for the action group and past president of the Rotary Club of Roswell. “We see the World Cup as a real opportunity to showcase Rotary, whether it’s having an event, having a peace pole installation, or helping protect vulnerable individuals from trafficking.”

The World Cup host city leadership committee has created a World Cup Volunteer Opportunities form for Rotary members who want to serve on the committee or learn more. Members can also write to rotaryworldcup@gmail.com for more information.

— April 2026