Philadelphia Soccer 2026 on Monday unveiled its volunteer center location in the Fashion District in Center City for next summer’s FIFA World Cup.
The 18,000-square-foot space at 901 Market St. will serve as the hub for more than 3,000 volunteers that will help direct visitors to the six matches and other World Cup activations held in and around the city.
It will serve as the headquarters for volunteer registration and training as well as a transit hub distributing volunteers to Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia, the Fan Festival in Lemon Hill and transportation sites like 30th Street Station and Philadelphia International Airport.
“Fashion District Philadelphia’s selection as the site of Philadelphia Soccer 2026’s FIFA World Cup 26 Volunteer Center represents a significant victory for our city,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said in a press release. “The center will not only help power critical volunteer efforts supporting FIFA World Cup 26 but also generate significant economic activity for our local businesses, restaurants, and hotels. We are proud to support this effort and the thousands of volunteers who will ensure that next summer’s tournament is a success.”
The Philadelphia organizing committee expects more than 3,000 people to volunteer for the World Cup, applications for which begin in August.
The committee has gotten a large groundswell of interest not just from people in the area but international travelers interested in working at the World Cup with Philadelphia as their home base.
Some 20 percent of the interest has come from overseas, the third most for any of the 16 host markets, the committee said.
That number will be augmented by other programs, like SEPTA’s ambassadors and the Philadelphia Visitor Center’s Phambassadors program, to move the number to more than 4,000 volunteers.
The volunteer hub will be a way to connect the events of South Philadelphia with the city’s central business district.
The two-floor location, formerly home to immersive art installations, provides a central location to credential and train volunteers. The city has put aside 3,100 parking spots for World Cup-associated traffic. By providing volunteers with vouchers to patronize local businesses, it’s another avenue for economic impact for the global soccer spectacle.
Each of the 16 host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico will designate such a hub.
Volunteers will aid with wayfinding for visitors to the city and at the stadium complex in South Philadelphia as well as related soccer events in the region even when games aren’t being played here.
Philadelphia Soccer 2026 is anticipating more than 7,000 applications.
Though dates are not formally set, the application process via FIFA is slated to open in August and run into the fall, with approvals starting in October. The site on Market will be active well in advance of the June 11 start of the tournament and will run past the final game at the Linc, a Round of 16 match on July 4.
“The Fashion District is an ideal location for FIFA World Cup 26 Philadelphia to welcome and serve the thousands of volunteers who will make the games one of Philadelphia’s most successful events in history and a showcase for our city and region,” said Michelle Singer, board co-chair, Philadelphia Soccer 2026. “The site is easily accessible. Volunteers can walk, take public transit or drive, and it is located just blocks away from the country’s most historical sites and the city’s economic center. There really is no better site to base our large volunteer effort and I am glad we were able to secure it.”
Source: Berkshire mont