What It Takes to Run the World's Biggest Sporting Event — According to Ivan Marchenko
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the largest single-sport tournament ever staged. As venue operations director, Ivan Marchenko leads FIFA's most complex planning effort and draws on more than 15 years of hands-on experience in global tournament logistics.
While the Summer Olympics typically involve around 10,000 athletes competing in over 30 sports within one host city, the 2026 World Cup will span three countries, 16 cities, and 104 matches over five weeks. The tournament will host 48 national teams and is expected to draw over 3 million in-person spectators, with millions more involved through staffing, volunteers, and travel-related activity. Coordinating security, transport, accommodation, and match operations at this scale requires a decentralized infrastructure far broader than any other major event. Global Experience and Operational Growth
Ivan began his career in 2009, helping organize the opening ceremony at Donbas Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine. That event included a performance by Beyoncé and introduced him to the challenges of large-scale live productions. He later served as an assistant venue manager at UEFA Euro 2012, gaining experience coordinating venue logistics at a continental level.
By 2018, Marchenko had advanced to managing Yekaterinburg Stadium during the FIFA World Cup in Russia. In this role, he led local operations teams under strict timelines and ensured compliance with FIFA protocols.
His time in Qatar was his longest and wide-ranging. Over 11 years, he played a central role in preparing all eight tournament stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His duties spanned the full lifecycle of venue development—from early-stage planning to match-day delivery. The Argentina vs. France final marked one of his most memorable moments, reinforcing his experience handling global events. Leadership Framework Built on Three Priorities
Across more than a decade of stadium operations, Ivan has developed a leadership approach grounded in operational clarity, cross-functional coordination, and local team empowerment.
He emphasizes clarity in preparation. Under his oversight, each stadium operates with a plan tailored to its location, expected risks, and regional systems. Whether dealing with extreme weather in Dallas or managing crowd flow in Mexico City, his teams rely on practical scenario-based frameworks.
He also prioritizes coordination between operational departments. Security, guest services, broadcast media, and sustainability teams must work together. Ensuring they align by setting shared goals and maintaining consistent communication.
Marchenko leads a team of venue operations directors across all 16 stadiums. He gives them a consistent planning structure while allowing space for local adaptation. His approach enables stadium teams to deliver events that meet both FIFA requirements and regional expectations. Applying the Model Across North America
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest in history, with 48 teams and 104 matches across three countries. Ivan Marchenko leads the planning and delivery of venue operations across this vast geography. He is also overseeing the venue management for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, across 12 stadiums in the United States. The event includes 32 teams and 63 matches.
"You need precision, trust, and constant motion," says Ivan Marchenko. "Every city and partner moves in sync. We build systems that keep matches on time and teams supported. That is how you run something this big."
Some venues, such as AT&T Stadium in Dallas, are deploying advanced ticketing and crowd analytics software. Others, like Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, receive targeted retrofits to meet safety and accessibility standards. The Venue Management team has to adapt and upgrade plans based on venue conditions, ensuring that each stadium delivers a consistent tournament experience.
Marchenko introduced structured planning frameworks to address differences in stadium infrastructure and operations across North America. These systems allow each venue to meet FIFA standards while accounting for local practices and regulatory conditions. Legacy and Industry Influence
Having led operations for the smallest and largest World Cups ever staged, Marchenko brings unique insight into scaling venue strategies for different tournament models.
He also mentors early-career operations professionals and shares planning models with emerging markets.
"This industry kind of chose me," reflects Marchenko. "I started organizing events during university, and it just took off from there. Nothing is more meaningful than watching a stadium come to life."
Marchenko's work on the 2026 FIFA World Cup reflects a career built on precision, collaboration, and adaptable planning. Other host cities preparing to stage large-scale international events now reference his strategy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
a day ago
- DW
Women's Euro 2025: 5 things to know – DW – 06/27/2025
Sixteen of Europe's premier women's national teams are set to compete for continental supremacy. DW has you covered on the key facts as the tournament opens in Switzerland. Euro 2025 is being hosted by Switzerland from July 2 to July 27, and the matches will be played at eight stadiums: in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun and Sion. Iceland and Finland open the tournament in Thun on July 2, while hosts Switzerland kick off their campaign three hours later in Basel's St. Jakob-Park stadium — where the final is to be played on July 27. Germany open their campaign against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4. By today's standards this is a relatively small tournament, with just 16 teams, divided into four groups. Each team plays the other three in their group once, with the top two from each advancing to the quarterfinals. Should matches in the knockout stage remain drawn after 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If necessary, matches will be decided in penalty shootouts. World Cup champions Spain disappointed by finishing out of the medals at last summer's Paris Olympics, but they still top this list as the continent's highest FIFA-ranked women's team (No. 2). By now, they should have put the controversy over the unwanted kiss by former FA President Luis Rubiales after the 2023 World Cup final behind them. Normally one of the first teams you would name would be the defending champions; however, England have had a list of absences and injuries to deal with in recent months. Key central defender Millie Bright has ruled herself out, saying she was at her "mental and physical limit." Fellow Euro 2022 winners Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps retired on the eve of the squad announcement. Bayern Munich star Georgia Stanway, as well as Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City, each missed the bulk of the season after undergoing knee surgery but all make the squad, as does the mercurial Chelsea forward Lauren James, who is nursing a hamstring injury. Germany, finalists in 2022, are just behind Spain in the FIFA rankings but are a lesser-known quantity than they were three years ago. They've gone through a coaching change after the disappointing 2023 World Cup and the retirement of captain Alexandra Popp. New coach Christian Wück is optimistic about his squad, which he hopes will play with a mixture of "joy, enthusiasm, will and conviction." France have established themselves as regular quarterfinalists in recent Euros, making it to the semifinals in 2022 — and the Nations League Final in 2024. They had recently fallen off a bit but climbed back into the top 10 in FIFA's latest women's rankings. Giulia Gwinn has big boots to fill as Germany's new captain, but is a proven winner with Bayern Munich. She was also a member of the that fell at the last hurdle in England three years ago. Spain boast two recent Ballon d'Or winners in midfielders Aitana Bonmati (2023, 2024) and Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) — two good reasons for making Spain one of the favorites. Both were members of Spain's World Cup-winning side in 2023 and semifinalists at the Paris Olympics. Ewa Pajor, a teammate of Putellas and Bonmati at Barcelona, is making her debut at a major tournament with her national team, as this is the first time that Poland have managed to qualify for either the World Cup or the Euros. They will need the striker to be at the top of her game if they are to come out of a group with Germany, Denmark and Sweden. One of her opponents will be Pernille Harder, a veteran of more than 160 matches for Denmark. At 32, she is still going strong for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. For the defending champions, Alessia Russo has graduated from Euro 2022 supersub to England's first choice striker. The Arsenal forward was joint top scorer in the domestic Women's Super League (WSL) and won the Champions League with her club. She will be the focal point for a side who have plenty of attacking midfield threats. UEFA announced late last year that it had earmarked a total of €41 million ($47 million) in prize money for the 2025 Women's Euros, representing a 156% increase on the figure from the previous tournament in 2022. In a statement, European football's governing body said the increase in funds reflected "UEFA's on-going commitment to growing women's football across Europe." Still, the women continue to trail far behind the men in this department, with the total prize money for Euro 2024 coming in at €331 million — or about eight times what the women are playing for this summer.
DW
3 days ago
- DW
Women's Euro 2025: Five things to know – DW – 06/27/2025
Sixteen of Europe's premier women's national teams are set to compete for continental supremacy. DW has you covered on the key facts as the tournament opens in Switzerland. Euro 2025 is being hosted by Switzerland from July 2 to July 27 and the matches will be played at eight stadiums: in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun and Sion. Iceland and Finland open the tournament in Thun on July 2, while hosts Switzerland kick off their campaign three hours later in Basel's St. Jakob-Park stadium – where the final is to be played on July 27. Germany open their campaign against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4. By today's standards this is a relatively small tournament, with just 16 teams, divided into four groups. Each team plays the other three in their group once, with the top two from each advancing to the quarterfinals. Should matches in the knockout stage remain drawn after 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If necessary, matches will be decided in penalty shootouts. World Cup champions Spain disappointed by finishing out of the medals at last summer's Paris Olympics, still they top this list as the continent's highest FIFA-ranked women's team (No. 2). By now they should have put the controversy over the unwanted kiss by former FA President Luis Rubiales after the 2023 World Cup final behind them. Normally one of the first teams you would name would be the defending champions, however England have had a list of absences and injuries to deal with in recent months. Key central defender Millie Bright ruled herself our, saying she was at her "mental and physical limit" while fellow Euro 2022 winners Fran Kirby and goalkeeper Mary Earps retired on the eve of the squad announcement. Bayern Munich star Georgia Stanway as well as Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood of Manchester City, each missed the bulk of the season after undergoing knee surgery but all make the squad, as does the mercurial Chelsea forward Lauren James, who is nursing a hamstring injury. Germany, finalists in 2022, are just behind Spain in the FIFA rankings but are a lesser-known quantity than they were three years ago. They've gone through a coaching change after the disappointing 2023 World Cup and captain Alexandra Popp retired. New coach Christian Wück is optimistic about his squad, which he hopes will play with a mixture of "joy, enthusiasm, will and conviction." France have established themselves as regular quarterfinalists in recent Euros, making it to the semifinals in 2022 – and the Nations League Final in 2024. They had recently fallen off a bit but climbed back into the top 10 in FIFA's latest women's rankings. Following the retirement of Alexandra Popp, Giulia Gwinn has big boots to fill as Germany's new captain, but is a proven winner with Bayern Munich. She was also a member of the that fell at the last hurdle in England three years ago. Spain boast two recent Ballon d'Or winners in midfielders Aitana Bonmati (2023, 2024) and Alexia Putellas (2021, 2022) – two good reasons for making Spain one of the favorites. Both were members of Spain's World Cup-winning side in 2023 and semifinalists at the Paris Olympics. A teammate of Putellas and Bonmati at Barcelona, Ewa Pajor is making her debut at a major tournament with her national team, as this is the first time that Poland have managed to qualify for either the World Cup or the Euros. They will need the striker to be at the top of her game if they are to come out of a group with Germany, Denmark and Sweden. One of her opponents will be Pernille Harder, a veteran of more than 160 matches for Denmark at 32, she is still going strong for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. For the defending champions, Alessia Russo has graduated from Euro 2022 supersub to England's first choice striker. The Arsenal forward was joint top scorer in the domestic Women's Super League (WSL) and won the Champions League with her club. She will be the focal point for a side who have plenty of attacking midfield threats. UEFA announced late last year that it had earmarked a total of €41 million ($47 million) in prize money for the 2025 Women's Euros, representing a 156% increase on the figure from the previous tournament in 2022. In a statement, European football's governing body said the increase in funds reflected "UEFA's on-going commitment to growing women's football across Europe." Still, the women continue to trail far behind the men in this department, with the total prize money for Euro 2024 coming in at €331 million – or about eight times what the women are playing for this summer.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
What It Takes to Run the World's Biggest Sporting Event — According to Ivan Marchenko
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it the largest single-sport tournament ever staged. As venue operations director, Ivan Marchenko leads FIFA's most complex planning effort and draws on more than 15 years of hands-on experience in global tournament logistics. While the Summer Olympics typically involve around 10,000 athletes competing in over 30 sports within one host city, the 2026 World Cup will span three countries, 16 cities, and 104 matches over five weeks. The tournament will host 48 national teams and is expected to draw over 3 million in-person spectators, with millions more involved through staffing, volunteers, and travel-related activity. Coordinating security, transport, accommodation, and match operations at this scale requires a decentralized infrastructure far broader than any other major event. Global Experience and Operational Growth Ivan began his career in 2009, helping organize the opening ceremony at Donbas Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine. That event included a performance by Beyoncé and introduced him to the challenges of large-scale live productions. He later served as an assistant venue manager at UEFA Euro 2012, gaining experience coordinating venue logistics at a continental level. By 2018, Marchenko had advanced to managing Yekaterinburg Stadium during the FIFA World Cup in Russia. In this role, he led local operations teams under strict timelines and ensured compliance with FIFA protocols. His time in Qatar was his longest and wide-ranging. Over 11 years, he played a central role in preparing all eight tournament stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. His duties spanned the full lifecycle of venue development—from early-stage planning to match-day delivery. The Argentina vs. France final marked one of his most memorable moments, reinforcing his experience handling global events. Leadership Framework Built on Three Priorities Across more than a decade of stadium operations, Ivan has developed a leadership approach grounded in operational clarity, cross-functional coordination, and local team empowerment. He emphasizes clarity in preparation. Under his oversight, each stadium operates with a plan tailored to its location, expected risks, and regional systems. Whether dealing with extreme weather in Dallas or managing crowd flow in Mexico City, his teams rely on practical scenario-based frameworks. He also prioritizes coordination between operational departments. Security, guest services, broadcast media, and sustainability teams must work together. Ensuring they align by setting shared goals and maintaining consistent communication. Marchenko leads a team of venue operations directors across all 16 stadiums. He gives them a consistent planning structure while allowing space for local adaptation. His approach enables stadium teams to deliver events that meet both FIFA requirements and regional expectations. Applying the Model Across North America The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest in history, with 48 teams and 104 matches across three countries. Ivan Marchenko leads the planning and delivery of venue operations across this vast geography. He is also overseeing the venue management for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, across 12 stadiums in the United States. The event includes 32 teams and 63 matches. "You need precision, trust, and constant motion," says Ivan Marchenko. "Every city and partner moves in sync. We build systems that keep matches on time and teams supported. That is how you run something this big." Some venues, such as AT&T Stadium in Dallas, are deploying advanced ticketing and crowd analytics software. Others, like Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, receive targeted retrofits to meet safety and accessibility standards. The Venue Management team has to adapt and upgrade plans based on venue conditions, ensuring that each stadium delivers a consistent tournament experience. Marchenko introduced structured planning frameworks to address differences in stadium infrastructure and operations across North America. These systems allow each venue to meet FIFA standards while accounting for local practices and regulatory conditions. Legacy and Industry Influence Having led operations for the smallest and largest World Cups ever staged, Marchenko brings unique insight into scaling venue strategies for different tournament models. He also mentors early-career operations professionals and shares planning models with emerging markets. "This industry kind of chose me," reflects Marchenko. "I started organizing events during university, and it just took off from there. Nothing is more meaningful than watching a stadium come to life." Marchenko's work on the 2026 FIFA World Cup reflects a career built on precision, collaboration, and adaptable planning. Other host cities preparing to stage large-scale international events now reference his strategy.
