LATEST STORIES
The Stories Are Local. The Passion Is Global.
Consul General Gicela Andrade Valens: Somos Fútbol — Ecuador Identity, and NJNY Global Tournament 2026
By Giovanna Aguilar |
Interview • NYC, NY • May 2026 Gicela Andrade Valens on what it means to represent Ecuador when its national team plays in the historic 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium. There are personal stakes for me in this interview. I was born in Quito, and though I have lived my whole life in the…
The Beautiful Game as Diplomacy: Mexico’s Head Consul on Fútbol and 2026 | Kicking It to 2026
By Giovanna Aguilar |
Interview • New Brunswick, NJ • March 2026 Consul Mariana Díaz-Nagore on fútbol, community, and why the 2026 tournament is about far more than the final score. In Mexico, they don’t call it soccer. They call it fútbol – and the distinction matters more than it might seem. When Mariana Díaz-Nagore, Head Consul of Mexico…
Kickoff Diplomacy: Germany’s Ambassador to Ecuador on the Beautiful Game and the Art of Connection
By Giovanna Aguilar |
Interview • Quito, Ecuador • January 2026 Ambassador Jens Peter Lütkenherm reflects on a life in diplomacy, his love of the beautiful game, and what it means to find home in a country of extraordinary diversity. Jens Peter Lütkenherm has spent the better part of four decades representing Germany across five continents. From the consulate…
Kicking It to 2026 Featured on ABC’s Tiempo Following Seton Hall Summit on 2026 Readiness
By Giovanna Aguilar |
Giovanna Aguilar joined José Torres on ABC’s Tiempo this week, alongside Kelly Brozyna, CEO of the New Jersey Small Business Development Center, to discuss Kicking It to 2026: The Countdown to the Game and reflect on last week’s summit at Seton Hall University. Their conversation focused on preparations for 2026, including crowd safety, public readiness,…
PHOTOS
PAST EVENTS
The April 1, 2026, event at Seton Hall University brought together leaders across public safety, business, sports, and community development to explore what responsible preparation should look like ahead of 2026. Special thanks to Professor Clifford Stott, Frank Pannell of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Major Christopher Modarelli of the New Jersey State Police, Erik Stover of the New York Cosmos, Kelly Brozyna, and Rafael Bello for helping lead such an important conversation.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Hosted by the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute
USA
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Dallas
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- New York/New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco
- Seattle
MEXICO
- Mexico City
- Guadalajara
- Monterrey
CANADA
- Toronto
- Vancouver
ABOUT
Kicking It to 2026! The Countdown to the Soccer Game is a mobile-first docuseries that puts fans at the center of the story, capturing their point of view from the local communities they call home — often far from the countries they're cheering for as the 2026 World Cup approaches.
Filmed on mobile for immediacy and authenticity, the series highlights local traditions, real fan experiences and the rising excitement across the 16 host cities in Mexico, the United States and Canada. Each episode blends human-interest storytelling with the global scale of the tournament, revealing how everyday passion fuels the countdown to the world's biggest game — and what fans are preparing for next.
