DENTON (UNT), Texas — For millions of fans, the FIFA World Cup 2026^TM was a summer of unforgettable matches and international competition. For several University of North Texas students, it was also an opportunity to gain hands-on experience working behind the scenes of one of the world’s largest sporting events.

Now, as the fall semester gets underway, those students are bringing new skills, professional connections and career experiences back to campus.

Through the FIFA Host Broadcast (HB) Intern Programme, UNT students worked in a variety of roles supporting the tournament’s broadcast operations and events in North Texas.

For Natalie Gaytan, a senior studying recreation, event and sport management, the experience offered a firsthand look at the industry she has been preparing to enter.

As a liaison assistant at Dallas Stadium, Gaytan assisted media partners with logistical and operational support, ensuring their coverage ran smoothly throughout the tournament.

“My coursework at UNT, especially classes in leadership, operations and logistics, helped me see myself in the industry and understand what it would take to get there and perform at the highest level,” Gaytan said.

For Julian Lofgren, a senior sports journalism major, the internship brought his classroom experience directly into a professional broadcast environment.

Lofgren worked as an intern supporting commentators during matches, helping ensure their audio and commentary equipment functioned properly. The role also gave him experience working with major sports media organizations including ESPN and Fox Sports.

Although Lofgren had previously worked at major sporting events, including the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and NBA games, he said the scale of the World Cup was unlike anything he had experienced.

“The first game I worked between Japan and Netherlands was absolutely incredible,” Lofgren said. “All the games in general were memories that will last with me for the rest of my life.”

The experience also reinforced the importance of skills he learned at UNT, including professional terminology and equipment knowledge. More broadly, Lofgren said he learned how much behind-the-scenes work goes into successfully delivering an event of that scale.

For Keller Neu, an information technology student in UNT’s College of Engineering, the experience took him into a different side of the tournament.

Working at the International Broadcast Center, Neu used the IT skills he developed through his coursework while collaborating with people from around the world. The experience also taught him how to work effectively as part of a large-scale team — a lesson he expects to carry into his senior design project.

“Being at the International Broadcast Center allowed us to interact with people from around the world every day,” Neu said. “While any large project may seem daunting, delegating tasks and maintaining open communication are key to success.”

And for Christopher Bolaños Jr., a broadcast journalism student entering his senior year, the experience may have changed the direction of his career.

Bolaños supported commentators during matches and gained experience working in the fast-paced broadcast environment. After initially planning to pursue local news reporting, he said the World Cup made him consider sports journalism.

“I think I want to switch to sports now, especially sports writing or reporting,” Bolaños said. “I have experience for the biggest sporting event in the world.”

Tylur Woods, who recently completed UNT’s master’s program in media industry, also gained experience that helped clarify her career goals. Woods worked as a production assistant in the broadcast compound, coordinating call times and camera-operator rosters and making sure production staff had what they needed on match days.

Working alongside a production manager gave Woods a closer look at the career she hopes to pursue.

“I aspire to be a production manager, especially to travel a lot, and I always said that I would love to get paid to travel for work,” Woods said.

For these students, the World Cup was more than a chance to work at one of the world’s biggest sporting events. It gave them an opportunity to put what they learned at UNT into practice, build professional connections and gain a clearer sense of where they want their careers to go.

As they return to campus, they’re bringing those lessons with them — from the broadcast compound to the classroom and, eventually, into their careers.

“Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace, and don't overthink it,” Woods said. “Just be yourself, take initiative and work for what you want.”