CSUDH alumna Ilyanna Gutierrez will be at the center of one of the world’s biggest events this summer. In her role as Senior Manager of Media Partnerships Services for FIFA, she will be overseeing such operations for all 104 tournament matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Working from the FIFA Tournament Operations Center in Miami, Gutierrez leads a team that supports media partners in their planning – working on logistics, travel, and on-site preparation for broadcast crews from around the globe. With more than 160 media partners descending on Canada, the U.S., and Mexico for the month-long tournament, the team has been busy.
“Our job is to support their coverage when they come to the cover the World Cup here in North America,” says Gutierrez, who graduated from CSUDH in 2012 with a BA in Communications. “We’re helping them with visas, securing accommodations, figuring out transportation – a lot of the operational, logistical things that they need to successfully cover the tournament.”
“We’re also preparing all of the operational matters at the venues,” she adds. “We’re figuring out where the cameras are being positioned on the pitch, where are player interviews being conducted, where the commentators sit to call the match, studios and platform locations, those kinds of practical issues.”
During the tournament, Gutierrez will be stationed in the Miami tournament ops center, monitoring the proceedings at 16 stadiums in three countries. “There are tons of video screens with all the matches on, as well as weather radar. We’re here in a central point, coordinating and supporting the teams remotely, however we can.”
“I’m Mexican-American, and it’s been really cool being a part of putting the tournament together in my two home countries,” says Gutierrez. “My parents are from Mexico, and I inherited a love of the game from my father. Soccer is a big part of my culture. It’s been fun to be involved with the whole process and to contribute to something so huge.
“When we sit back and look at the big picture, we are literally providing this broadcast to homes across the world. This will probably be the most viewed event in history. It’s cool knowing the big impact that we have across the globe. “Even as stressed as it is right now, as much pressure as it is right now, I still wake up excited,” she says. “I’m really proud of what we’re doing and excited to share these matches with the world.”
