The FIFA World Cup comes to North America for the first time since 1994, with the U.S., Canada and Mexico hosting the 2026 competition. From the economics of global sport to the politics of international competition, faculty experts can offer perspectives across multiple disciplines. All experts are available for print, broadcast and digital interviews.

For media assistance and interview coordination, contact Keith Kobland via email at kkobland@syr.edu or by calling 315.415.8095.

Sport Economics and Analytics

Rodney Paul | rpaul01@syr.edu

Rodney Paul is director of the sports analytics program and a professor in the Department of Sport Management in the David B. Falk College of Sport.

Paul is a sports economist with more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and extensive experience consulting for professional leagues and teams. He has been featured on NPR, Forbes and in CFO Magazine on topics ranging from TV rights deals to franchise finances.

Paul can discuss the economics of hosting, including revenue projections, infrastructure costs and whether host cities recoup their investments. He can also explore ticket pricing, broadcast rights and the financial windfall for FIFA and its sponsor brands. Paul is also available to discuss how increased U.S. viewership and a home tournament could accelerate the growth of MLS and professional soccer investment in North America.

Football, Film and African Culture

Vlad Dima | vdima@syr.edu

Vlad Dima is a professor of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dima is the author of “The Beautiful Skin: Football, Fantasy and Cinematic Bodies in Africa” (Michigan State University Press), a landmark examination of soccer’s cultural meaning across the African continent. His research spans francophone cinema, cultural studies and the politics of sport as spectacle. He was recently interviewed by the Los Angeles Times on soccer’s growing popularity in the United States.

Dima can discuss the importance of soccer as a cultural identity and what the tournament means for African nations and diaspora communities; how media representations of African and Global South players shape narratives of race and nationhood; and the tournament as soft power—how countries use the World Cup stage to project national identity on a global screen.

Geopolitics and International Security

Corri Zoli | cbzoli@syr.edu

Corri Zoli is an associate teaching professor of political science and a senior research scholar in global affairs and international security in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs | College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). Zoli is a scholar of international security, global conflict and the intersection of law and cross-cultural dynamics. Based in the Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, Zoli’s interdisciplinary work addresses how international institutions navigate political tensions, a lens directly applicable to a tournament that brings together nations with competing global interests.

Zoli can speak about the World Cup as a geopolitical arena; how FIFA navigates relations with sanctioned states, contested territories and authoritarian hosts; what goes into security planning and counterterrorism logistics for a multi-city, multination tournament on U.S. soil; the diplomatic stakes when rival nations meet on the pitch; and what sport reveals about the limits of soft power.