From K-State to 'the beautiful game'

Victor Banda-Medina grew up playing soccer and admiring the game. He has a whole new perspective now that he works behind the scenes of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Kansas City.

Just one year after graduating from Kansas State University, Banda-Medina is helping deliver one of the biggest sporting events in the world as a digital marketing assistant for FIFA, the global governing body for soccer — or football, as most of the world calls it.

The 2026 World Cup tournament is the largest ever, with a record 48 teams competing in a record 104 matches in 16 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

And Banda-Medina gets to help present it — and Kansas City — to the world.

A Wildcat's path to the pitch

Banda-Medina got his foot in the FIFA door as a summer intern last year, right after graduating from K-State with a bachelor's degree in mass communications.

After searching for the right post-graduation opportunity, getting an offer from such a major organization in a field he's passionate about was a dream come true for Banda-Medina. Even so, he was hesitant to accept a short-term internship instead of a full-time job.

But he took a leap of faith.

"I knew that even if it didn't turn into a full-time role, I would gain valuable experience and be part of something meaningful," he said.

Now, Banda-Medina has a full-time position on the KC2026 marketing team, producing creative content and supporting other aspects of communications and promotions for the World Cup events taking place in Kansas City.

"The World Cup is something special; it brings people together in a way that not many events can," he said. "The atmosphere goes beyond the stadium; you can feel it everywhere, no matter where you're watching from."

Banda-Medina, who's from Manhattan, is excited to show off Kansas City to the global audience and see how the World Cup influences the growth of the area's soccer culture.

"Kansas City is incredibly welcoming," he said. "It's a hidden gem with a lot of opportunity. It's still a growing city, but it's showing out, and I'm excited for the world to experience that and see what makes it special."

The daily dribble as a World Cup marketing assistant

For Banda-Medina, working on an event of this scale has been eye-opening.

"I've been surprised by how much work happens long before anything is visible to the public," Banda-Medina said. "What people experience during the tournament is the result of years of work. Even the smallest decisions involve multiple teams and rounds of feedback to ensure alignment and consistency across organizations and timelines so that everything feels seamless."

And every day is different.

"Some days, I'm focused on email marketing, building campaigns, reviewing creative assets or updating web pages," he said. "Other days, I work more on design — editing graphics, preparing assets and submitting creative content for approvals."

Some days are surreal, like the first time he had media access for a big-time event.

It was the ‘Premier League Mornings Live' Fan Festival, and Banda-Medina was recording collaborative content with Jillian Carroll, a sports entertainment anchor and Kansas City Current play-by-play announcer and analyst.

They spoke with former professional U.S. soccer player Tim Howard, who was working as a pundit at the event, and with former Kansas City Chiefs player Christian Okoye.

"It was one of those moments where you pause and really take in how far you've come and the opportunities you're stepping into," Banda-Medina said.

Kicking it back to K-State

Banda-Medina didn't have a perfectly mapped out plan when he went to college. He just knew he was interested in creative work and how ideas come to life.

So, he enrolled in the A.Q. Miller School of Media and Communication in K-State's College of Arts and Sciences. The training and mentoring he received there prepared him to hit the FIFA ground running on day one.

"I gained experience in design, content creation and communication, and projects like mock campaigns helped me develop confidence in presenting ideas and thinking strategically," he said. "My flexible degree program allowed me to build a wide range of skills instead of being locked into one specific path. I learned to think outside the box and approach challenges from different angles while strengthening my technical and creative skillset."

Banda-Medina also took advantage of the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab in Hale Library, which offers sound and video production studios and other spaces and tools for gaining hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.

But one of his most impactful experiences was serving on the executive board of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, or HALO, an independent student organization.

"Through HALO, I built relationships with people from all kinds of backgrounds and learned how to organize events, engage with the community, work closely with others toward a shared goal and navigate through the professional world," he said.

All of that experience enabled him to score a student job as a marketing communications associate for K-State's College of Education, which in turn prepared him to take on the FIFA role.

Passing inspiration on to fellow Wildcats

Banda-Medina hopes his experience inspires students not to limit themselves or their goals.

"Being deeply connected to soccer and now working on the World Cup is something I never imagined, but it shows what's possible," he said.

"K-State has so many resources and people who genuinely want to see you succeed. Whatever you want to do, you can go after it."