More than 1 million soccer fans visited Houston this summer for FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches at Houston Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival east of downtown. Their excitement was amplified through social media to showcase the city as a sports destination.

No one was prouder to promote Houston on the world stage than Cindy Torres (’20). As a content coordinator for the FIFA World Cup Houston Host City Committee, Torres assisted with social media and marketing to promote and celebrate games and events throughout the area. She also took photos at matches to capture the thrill of the spectacle and the historic importance of Houston hosting games for the world’s most popular sports event for the first time.

“I worked with influencers as well so they could promote the FIFA Fan Festival, the games and their experiences,” Torres said. “Our overall goal at the Houston Host City Committee was to essentially connect people. We’re also planting seeds for the future so we can continue to prove that Houston can host world-class events.”

Experiencing the FIFA World Cup matches and festivities has been a dream come true for Torres. The lifelong soccer fan has enjoyed many moments she will never forget.

“I believe the most memorable part of it all has been being able to work at the FIFA Fan Festival and seeing everybody’s reaction to being there for the first time. I believe it’s very special for Houston overall, especially because we have never had this before.”

Torres photographed and filmed the tens of thousands of fans from Brazil and Portugal celebrating in the streets as they walked to the day’s matches at Houston Stadium. Climbing to the top of the Netherlands fans’ double-decker bus, she filmed the orange sea of 20,000 fans as they bounced side-to-side, chanting in unison and making their way to the stadium.

Torres was also impressed by the turnout of the fans from Cabo Verde, the island nation off the coast of West Africa and one of the smallest countries to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. “I remember seeing the Cabo Verde fan-base marching to the game with all their instruments and music and being overjoyed about their team making it into the World Cup,” she said. “It was great seeing everyone really excited about the game, showcasing their culture and community.”

Torres’ love for sports began when she was a child watching soccer on television with her family in South Houston, including the FIFA World Cup tournament held every four years. Originally from Mexico, her family especially followed “El Tri,” the Mexican national team, and rooted for the players during successive FIFA World Cup appearances. She began playing on soccer teams regularly in middle school. By the time she started attending Cesar Chavez High School, she joined weekend soccer leagues with friends.

Torres enrolled at the University of Houston and majored in kinesiology, with a focus on sport administration, while minoring in corporate communications. Although she enjoyed her classes, her interests began to shift while working part-time with the Houston Texans, where she helped as a Battle Red Representative, eventually joining the team full-time as a Multicultural Marketing Coordinator. In that position, Torres oversaw the Texans’ Spanish social media account, multicultural marketing and international initiatives. She also held similar positions with the Houston Rockets.

It was that freedom to grow brands that helped her decide on her career when she graduated in 2020. By 2025, Torres was working her dream job in San Antonio, where she led social media and marketing and promoted community engagement for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Host Committee. She and her fellow co-worker experienced the front-row excitement of watching the Houston Cougars advance to the Final Four and championship game against Florida. “We were so proud of us being UH alums and being on the host committee to see UH make it to the final,” she said.

Torres stays in touch with her university through the UH Alumni Association Hispanic Alumni Network, where she briefly served as a board member. She enjoys the camaraderie of the group. “It is an incredible group of people who definitely want the best for you,” she said. “I think it’s good to find that community who you get along with and, of course, people who you went to school with. It’s finding that community where you can help others, but they can also help you. I think that’s also something I always wanted to strive for, to be a mentor, just continuing to help others who are in the same boat as me.”

The Hispanic Alumni Network’s members have been particularly helpful, Torres said, by providing career feedback, enhancing professional skills and connecting her with future employment opportunities.

With the last goal scored in the FIFA World Cup and a new goal achieved for Torres through her experiences capturing the city’s excitement, she looks forward to a bright future in content creation. Torres will continue freelancing while anticipating future sports events coming to Houston, including Copa América. She also hopes the city will once again host the Gold Cup, the premier soccer tournament for men’s national teams in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, in 2027. The women’s FIFA World Cup tournament may also be held here in 2031.

“There’s always just something to look forward to here in Houston; it’s a world-class city that can host huge events, especially the sports related,” Torres said.