April 29, 2026
Molly McVety/PhillyVoice
Mosab Mohammadi, 23, models the uniform for World Cup volunteers during a fashion show Wednesday.
The first World Cup match in Philadelphia is less than 50 days away, and perhaps no one in the city is as excited for the tournament to begin as the 3,000 volunteers who are helping make it happen.
FIFA unveiled the outfits its volunteers will wear during the World Cup at a fashion show held Wednesday morning in the Fashion District, where its volunteer center is located. The outfits are loud, neon and flamboyant, but for the people who signed up, that may be the point.
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Jessica Malone, 40, said she applied to volunteer for the World Cup in hopes of being a source of support for visitors with questions or to offer fans high-fives. She has been obsessed with the World Cup since 1998 and has been to four of the last seven tournaments in person. She even has an Instagram account dedicated to her soccer travels.
The Francisville resident is taking a leave of absence from her full-time job as a hydrogeologist to volunteer at the tournament, which she called her "top priority."
"The fact that I live in a host city and can sleep in my own bed and still be involved in the tournament in what is going to be the greatest day of some people's lives is everything I ever dreamed of," she said. "Everyone (here) cares about Philadelphia so much and really wants to let everyone know it's one of the greatest cities in the world. … I cannot wait to interact with everyone. It's going to be so fun."
Mosab Mohammadi, a 23-year-old senior associate for a pharmaceutical marketing firm, worked as a volunteer during last year's Club World Cup and is looking to immerse himself in the tournament's energy once more.
"I just enjoyed the people, the culture, the environment, the excitement and the fun," he said. "I knew the World Cup was going to be thousands of times bigger than that, and I wanted to be a part of it."
Some volunteers got a taste of the experience Wednesday as FIFA rolled out a green turf carpet to show off the volunteers' swag. "Waka Waka" by Shakira was on full blast and local influencers had broken out their tripods to get a glimpse of volunteers modeling a tracksuit that combines chartreuse, royal blue and geometric patterns in a way that has not been used in mainstream streetwear since the 1980s.
But other than that, the volunteer center — where training and team bonding sessions are being held — was disconcertingly empty.
The FIFA Volunteer Center at 901 Market St. has been the home base for World Cup volunteer training and team bonding sessions.
Large, brightly colored canvases propped against the walls contain maps of the World Cup's host cities, inspirational quotes and stats about FIFA's volunteers — 77% are ages 18-29. Two foosball tables and two teqball tables — a game the combines elements of ping-pong and soccer — were scattered on the cement floor. There was some empty crates and a lone projector, too.
The only seating in the building was for the fashion show attendees, who were cheering with a level of unapologetic enthusiasm that would have been unsettling if it wasn't mildly contagious.
Still, the fashion show was delayed by 30 minutes. As everyone waited for it to begin, the LED spotlights continued blaring and "Waka Waka" played repeatedly. One could be forgiven for feeling like it was an elaborate ruse — a fashion show with no fashion.
Finally, six very excited volunteers sauntered down the floor. Cheers, music and bells echoed through the center's halls.
Six minutes later, the spectacle ended. The speakers played a song from streamer IShowSpeed called "World Cup," in which he mispronounces the names of several countries (Cro-teya instead of Croatia, for example.) Many in the back of the room were left in a confused daze. But the volunteers seemed as peppy as ever.
And they should be. An estimated 26,000 people applied to serve as volunteers in Philadelphia. About 3,600 advanced to the tryout and interview stage, which took place over 2 1/2 months. Last month, Philly's 3,000 volunteers were finalized, with training sessions to begin in the weeks ahead.
"(The volunteers') commitment to Philadelphia and their commitment to serve and provide exceptional experience for visitors, residents and businesses here in the city has been incredible," said Bassam Awadalla, senior adviser with the volunteer program for Philadelphia Soccer 2026. "They'll be the first smile and the first handshake for people who have never been to Philadelphia. They're going to be welcoming, inviting and more importantly, they're going to show them the Philadelphia love."
Each volunteer will receive two T-shirts, a jacket, shorts, pants, shoes, socks, a hat and a fanny pack to mix-and-match while they're on duty. The outfits will be the same for volunteers across North America, but each host city will have its own jacket patch.
A FIFA spokesperson said the design pays homage to "varsity jacket culture" in North America. That may be a stretch. But, to Mohammadi, it embodies the excitement that surrounds the event.
"It's colorful, it's loud, it's vibrant — it's exactly what the World Cup represents," he said. "There's different colors, different cultures, different people. The most important thing is being recognizable across the stadium full of people. It perfectly resembles that."
