In every major football festival — the World Cup, the Confederations Cup, the Champions League finals — invisible heroes step onto the field along with the players. Volunteers. Thousands of people who do not receive a salary, but spend their time, nerves, and strength to ensure the tournament runs smoothly. They greet fans at airports, distribute bracelets at the entrance, help journalists find the press center, and even smile when they are tired. Without them, the World Cup would crumble 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 For the first time, volunteers 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 was needed to serve 9 stadiums. The official FIFA volunteer program began 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 volunteers 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 retirees (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 advantages. It is mandatory: knowledge of 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 tolerance, and readiness to work 8-12 hours a day. Volunteers can be citizens of the host count ... Read more