Why The Real FIFA World Cup 2026 VIP Isn’t Who You Think

Watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 this weekend reminded me of a simple truth for sport execs. In a high-scrutiny environment, commercial success is underpinned by verified competence and unhindered access.

The press on the pitch was low, or maybe one of the “hydration” breaks happened, but a FIFA World Cup 2026 camera operator cut away from the action and panned to familiar faces in the crowd. HER, the one from that show we loved. HIM, he had that song you couldn’t get out of your head. Or simply ‘they’ve zoomed in super close to that guy’s face – he must be a big deal, who is he?’

In that moment, I actually thought something else entirely, and C-suite leaders and board execs probably thought the same thing. The real VIP in this particular dynamic isn’t the celebrity in frame, it’s the person operating the camera. Why? More than half of the projected revenue from the 2026 men’s World Cup will come from media rights, around $3.8bn of $6bn. In the United States alone, Fox Sports paid $485 million for English-language broadcast rights.

Camerapeople in this scenario are professional crews, deployed by Host Broadcast Services. Their seamless access to the stadia is mission-critical to the billions of dollars of media rights revenue that are riding on their output. If they are delayed at a checkpoint, denied access or are unable to reach their position, the consequences extend far beyond a little operational snafu that gets talked about in the pub.

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most complex operational undertakings in sport, without even considering spectators. Multiple venues. Thousands of workers and contractors. Global broadcasters. Suppliers. Billions of people watching, billions of dollars in commercial stakes. Every person on-site has to demonstrate that they have the right access, the right credentials and the right approvals, at the right time. The show must go on, no matter what.

Managing media and broadcaster operations at scale requires more than efficient administration. It requires a connected operational environment where access, permissions, approvals and stakeholder coordination work together seamlessly.

Those in the know are replacing spreadsheets, disconnected systems and manual processes with integrated workforce management platforms that inject a single source of truth across an entire workforce lifecycle. Accreditation, identity, permissions, compliance, and access control become part of one connected operational record, not multiple disconnected systems.

What we’re talking about here isn’t just operational efficiency, it’s genuine organisational confidence. Which brings me onto something I want to dig into with you more over the coming months – “security-washing”, where security terminology is used to position a product as credible, even when it has not been properly stress-tested in real-life operational environments and independently validated.

So, back to our camera operators. Whilst we appreciate them very much, they were really just the catalyst for this bigger thought. Every sports organisation depends on so many people, whose ability to discharge their responsibilities within a larger commercial ecosystem, relies on trusted identity, verified competence and unhindered access. It’s simply no longer acceptable to rely on inefficient and insecure accreditation processes for the very partners who create that value.

Peder Berg, CEO, Accredit Solutions