How Do You Host the World Cup? This Philly Soccer Exec Has Been Preparing for Years

Melissa Piccoli, chief external affairs officer at Philadelphia Soccer 2026 / Photograph provided

Welcome back to Masters of Ceremonies, where, in the lead-up to Philly’s biggest summer ever, I’ll be talking to some of the people behind the scenes making it all happen. From America’s 250th to the World Cup and beyond, you’ll get to know a little bit more about the people working to bring Philly to the world — and bring the world to Philly.

Today: Melissa Piccoli, chief external affairs officer at Philadelphia Soccer 2026.

For the past three years, Melissa Piccoli has been one of the people helping stitch together the countless partnerships required to bring the World Cup to Philadelphia, working with everyone from elected officials to youth sports organizations. “External affairs is something different every day, which is part of the reason I love the job so much,” Piccoli says. Over the past year, as the World Cup has gotten closer, she says, the role has moved from relationship-building into “execution, with those relationships at the center of it.”

What does a typical day look like for you, now that the World Cup is underway?
I started with a call at 8:30 this morning, and you are my fourth call of the morning. [Our call was at 10:30 a.m.] We start with a call every day just to make sure we’re all aligned on the same page, doing debrief from the day before, talking about all the exciting stuff that’s to come on that day.

When it’s Fan Fest, we’ll be at Fan Fest: We’re there to welcome the residents of Philadelphia and the world to Lemon Hill, which is such an awesome space — not just how it is now, but what it means to the city and the historic nature of it. And when it’s match day, I’ll be down at the stadium, doing the same. It’s sort of different every day — the hours are different every day, the talent and the events at Fan Fest are different every day — and so the cool thing about working on the World Cup is no two days will be the same, which also makes it complex because no two days will be the same. And I think the team is ready to handle whatever we have coming, as is the city of Philadelphia.

I’m going to a match: What tips do you have for me? How early should I get on SEPTA if I’m coming from Center City?
Building in time will be important. While the Linc and the Stadium District does this all the time, this is different. We have a guess of how many people will drive and take public transit versus rideshare, but we also don’t know.

So, I would just take the subway, I think it’s the easiest way for you to get there. Last summer, when we had a bunch of international fans for Club World Cup, I was expecting to get on the subway and it’d be complete mayhem, [but] it was relatively smooth. I know this is a different audience and a different group of people, but I would say get down there early; once you get in the stadium, there’s activities that you can do on the plaza — some of the sponsors have activations, so you can easily kill time in the stadium footprint if you get down there a little bit early.

The World Cup comes to Philly / Photograph via Getty Images

Besides the World Cup, of course, what are you most looking forward to in Philly this summer?
That’s such a good question. I think what I’m most looking forward to is the world experiencing Philadelphia — yes, the international community [for the World Cup], but all the people that are going to come here for 250th and MLB All-Star as well. I did not grow up in Philly, but I’ve chosen to make Philadelphia my home, and I want visitors to experience the city that I fell in love with, whether it’s the food scene or the culture or the art scene or the people — most importantly, the people, of course! It’s just a really awesome opportunity for us to show all the best parts of our city. There’s all the stuff going on with the arts community, there’s obviously a lot with sports, there’s a lot with history. So, no matter what people’s interests are, Philly is the place to be. There’s so much to be excited about.

That goes to my next question, which is: If you could talk to a tourist who’s in town this summer for World Cup, what is something you would tell them they have to do when they’re in Philly?
The Italian Market. It’s my favorite. I love it. I go all the time.

But then also, I love the Museum of the American Revolution. It tells such a good story about our country — the good and the bad of how we got to where we are today. And I think that it’s really special and important to tell that story as we’re celebrating 250 years, understanding how we got here, for residents and visitors alike.

It’s 2076. Philly’s getting ready to celebrate the country’s tricentennial, and future planners are looking back at 2026 and saying, “Let’s try to do something like that again.” What are they referring to?
I would say the collaborative nature of everything that’s happening this year. I have the fortune of talking to all of the other host cities that are doing a lot of big events this year, and I think the way Philadelphia has come together, from the private sector to the public sector to our nonprofit spaces, to just really pull this off for the city is super impressive. I’ve been on the World Cup team for three years, and that collaboration extends well before I was here. From the city government to all of the leaders across the city, I think the way they work together and share information — and want to uplift each other and not compete with each other — is super cool and unique. Because, you know, everyone’s working on big events, and they want their event to be the best event, but I think the coolest thing about what’s going on right now is everyone wants everyone’s event to be incredible and successful because that makes the city good, and that makes the city successful. So I think the collaborative nature of what’s going on this year is certainly something that people can look back on and be proud of, and hope to replicate.

I certainly see that for the World Cup, because of all the American host cities, obviously I’m biased, but I feel like in Philly there’s so much else going on that if you’re trying to decide which city to watch a World Cup match in, Philly’s a draw for many other reasons this summer.
Absolutely. You could be a sports fan or a history person and you can come and get it all — and experience it with people like you, but also very different from you. And I think that’s super cool.

Philadelphia’s FIFA World Cup 2026 signs / Photograph by Dominique Johnson, courtesy of City of Philadelphia

What is a less cliché Philly souvenir you’d recommend for someone to take a little piece of the city home with them?
When my cousin came, she got a mosaic, because of the Magic Gardens. And she loves that, and has it displayed on her shelf. She was like, “Oh, I’m just gonna go get a Liberty Bell.” And I was like, “No, you’re not!”

Exactly! That’s what this question’s about. That [Liberty Bell] was exactly what I had in mind with the “cliché” one.
Yeah, of course, the Liberty Bell or, like, a pocket Constitution, all very important, but definitely a little bit cliché.

What is your favorite Philly memory?
So as I mentioned, I’m not from Philadelphia, but I went to St. Joe’s for undergrad and Temple for grad school. I’ve chosen to make Philly my adult home, as I tell my family. So one of my honestly favorite memories was the summer after my freshman year of college, me and my new best friends — who are still my best friends to this day — spent some time together in the city and just walked around as young adults. We weren’t going to bars because we couldn’t drink, right? We were just enjoying the city. And that memory holds such a special place in my heart, because it felt like the first time I was an adult and kind of flapping my wings in a new city, in a new space. So that was like, my entrée to Philadelphia.

Well, clearly made an impression because you decided to stay after that.
We all did! We all stayed for a while after college.

Where are you originally from?
North Jersey. So I am now an evil fan because they’re all Giants fans. And all of that fun stuff makes family dinners very competitive, but I love it.

So, then alternatively [for favorite Philly memory], I mean, this is a cliché answer, but the [Eagles’] Super Bowl win — the first Super Bowl win — I was here, and that was one of the best times with all of my friends, and a time where you saw the city like rally around each other, which was super cool.

Who is your favorite Philly mascot, past or present?
Gritty is so weird and funky, but that also is Philadelphia. And I think the way that people around the country look at Gritty, and know who Gritty is — what Gritty represents is so symbolic of Philadelphia, and that is such a cool thing to embody in a sports mascot.

What’s your favorite Philly restaurant or one Philly food or specific restaurants dish that visitors should be sure to eat while they’re here?
So, I do love Her Place, but I know that’s not something that everyone can experience because it’s such a hot commodity. But that is such a good dining experience; you kind of feel like you’re eating with your best friends, even though you don’t know anyone else in the restaurant because it’s just so small and intimate.

I do think we have a lot of really good Mediterranean food in Philadelphia, so I certainly would encourage people to try it. And then, of course, water ice — I love John’s. I walked down there the other day. It’s a great treat, but also, if you walk down there you get to experience a neighborhood of Philly that is core to its personality.

Water ice from John’s / Photograph by Caroline Cunningham

If you’re making a Philly playlist, what song is kicking it off?
It might be cliché, but I just feel like “Dreams and Nightmares” [by Meek Mill] is just something that always will ring true to Philadelphia.

That’s not cliché! You definitely are the first person to pick that.
Well, that makes me happy. I also love “Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen. It’s not Philly; it’s Philly-adjacent.

Those are both good ones. And they’re not cliché ones. I mean, “Streets of Philadelphia” was right there.
Oh, thank you so much. I try to not be a cliché.

So, last question, going back to 2026: There’s been a lot of talk about what 2026 is going to be like for visitors and how we’re hosting the world, but what do you hope it means for Philadelphians and is there a lasting mark or collective memory you hope that we’ll carry with us as a city?
I think that this summer is, yes of course, it’s for visitors, but it is also for residents, most importantly. Philadelphia is such a great city that we should all embrace. I think there’s so much culture, and community, and neighborhoods in Philadelphia that people who have lived here for a long time perhaps don’t explore because they’re very comfortable right where they are. So, I hope people in the city look back on the summer and realize all of the great things that Philly has to offer — because sometimes we’re own worst enemy — and also create memories with their neighbors and loved ones and friends, just around all that there is, whether it’s a memory you make dribbling a soccer ball down your street in South Philadelphia, or a memory at FIFA Fan Fest, or watching the fireworks on July 4th. I think there’s so many memories that people can create if they stay and experience all the good that this summer has to offer — for the city, but all that the city means to them on a day-to-day basis.