The New Bleachers: World Cup Fandom in the Age of Snapchat & Roblox

{
  "id": "PP1150941",
  "track": "Brand & Marketing",
  "focus_area": null,
  "category": "Panel",
  "event_id": "PP1150941",
  "event_type": "panel",
  "format": "Panel",
  "genre": null,
  "subgenre": null,
  "name": "The New Bleachers: World Cup Fandom in the Age of Snapchat & Roblox",
  "presented_by": null,
  "publish_at": "2026-03-06T18:59:00.000-06:00",
  "reservable": true,
  "reservable_id": "PP1150941",
  "reserved": false,
  "date": "2026-03-18",
  "end_time": "2026-03-18T15:30:00.000-05:00",
  "start_time": "2026-03-18T14:30:00.000-05:00",
  "message": null,
  "image": null,
  "credentials": [
    {
      "name": "Platinum Badge",
      "type": "platinum"
    },
    {
      "name": "Innovation Badge",
      "type": "innovation"
    }
  ],
  "contributors": [
    {
      "id": 109209,
      "company": "Chicago Stars FC",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2284001,
      "name": "Sabrina Alsaffar",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Associate Director, Brand And Marketing",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Sabrina Alsaffar",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/WvPHfyr-gx3tvlGtoFVM0RBZFh0=/0x2:1051x1053/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/7b5d45ad-4006-4b1e-b576-f56dbf8a0a49/pcid-22"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Starting at Global Affairs Canada in communications and marketing, she worked with over 250\rconsulates and embassies worldwide on behalf of the Government of Canada. In 2022, she transitioned into sports marketing at U.S. Soccer, contributing to two World Cup cycles and experimenting with innovative brand awareness strategies in social media and egaming. She later joined Chicago Stars FC where she now leads the club's brand and marketing strategies. Her career path ultimately demonstrates that where your career starts doesn’t necessarily dictate the places it can go.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 107913,
      "company": "Snap Inc.",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2281260,
      "name": "Ben Feuerstein",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "AR, AI Marketing, Partnerships And GTM",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Ben Feuerstein",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/d9jEo7pDglZ1kSXYuLkS-rTLOP0=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/a005feae-6209-3cf3-084f-673244570759/pcid-1660520"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": null,
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 107912,
      "company": "Gamefam",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2281259,
      "name": "Alli Guglielmino",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Svp Of Growth",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Alli Guglielmino",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/wn3byNz8iSaFNo-2tvBZlR8cvhM=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/4dfbd24f-7e37-0a9d-ca79-341afc7bcc40/pcid-1660518"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Alli Guglielmino is Senior Vice President of Growth at Gamefam, the leading immersive gaming and media company for Gen Z & Alpha communities. In her leadership role, Alli directs marketing for large-scale partnerships and events, as well as influencer programs, licensing, merchandising and social media strategy. \r\r\r\rSince joining Gamefam in early 2022, Alli has directly managed major launches and day-to-day activities for the company’s largest partnerships with marquee brands, including Old Navy, the NFL, Warner Music Group, Mattel, LEGO, FIFA, Paramount, Netflix, Sega, Moose Toys, Cirque du Soleil and Build-A-Bear. \r\r\r\rTo date, Alli and her team have delivered more than 15 billion brand engagements across campaigns within Gamefam’s hit original games, including the #1 brand event on Roblox for the LEGO Group, the #1 official soccer event on Roblox for the FIFA Club World Cup, and one of the platform’s largest official retail brand events for Old Navy’s back-to-school campaign. Alli and her team have launched six of the top 25 brand/IP-based games of all time on Roblox, including the #1 and #2 titles, Sonic Speed Simulator and FIFA Super Soccer, and she also played a key role in producing three of the top five Roblox concerts of all time, including #1 Saweetie Bowl Concert Presented by Intuit. She has spearheaded bespoke activations for major film and TV releases, including the premiere of Sonic Prime within Sonic Speed Simulator, marking the first time Netflix debuted new content globally on another platform. Beyond on-platform success, Alli has helped expand Roblox IP into the physical world, transforming Gamefam’s popular Twilight Daycare experience into an animated series and global retail merchandise line available at major retailers worldwide.\r\r\r\rAlli has been named to Ad Age’s Leading Women and Cynopsis Gaming Top Women in Gaming & Esports for her Gamefam achievements and career accomplishments. Her campaigns have been highly accoladed by The Clio Awards, Digiday Awards, Webby Awards, The Drum Awards and many more.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    },
    {
      "id": 107911,
      "company": "U.S. Soccer",
      "credential_types": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "entity_id": 2281258,
      "name": "Nicole Kusi",
      "speaker_types": [
        "Speaker"
      ],
      "title": "Director Of Product",
      "image": {
        "alt_text": "Nicole Kusi",
        "credit": null,
        "url": "https://images.sxsw.com/5I1oBdbPM6tfM2-oFcLuKCNsUvk=/600x600/images.sxsw.com/48/2a1941e6-c92f-bb7a-c324-3febbfe55edd/pcid-1660514"
      },
      "speaker_type": "Speaker",
      "details": "Nicole Kusi is a product leader at the intersection of sports, technology, gaming and fan experience. She currently serves as Director of Product at U.S. Soccer Federation, where she leads the strategy and execution of key digital platforms, including gaming and esports experiences.",
      "links": {},
      "type": "person"
    }
  ],
  "venue": {
    "accessible": false,
    "age_policy": null,
    "floor": "5",
    "id": "V2031",
    "indoor_outdoor": null,
    "mixhalo_url": "https://translate.mixhalo.rocks/432?venue_id=432&partner=true",
    "name": "Waterloo Ballroom 4-6",
    "parent_id": "V2024",
    "parent_venue_name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
    "venue_entry_info": null,
    "formats": null,
    "location": {
      "address": "304 E Cesar Chavez St.",
      "lat_lon": [
        30.2628298,
        -97.74157
      ],
      "city": "Austin",
      "postal_code": "78701",
      "state": "TX",
      "name": "Austin Marriott Downtown"
    },
    "root": {
      "id": "V2024",
      "name": "Austin Marriott Downtown",
      "mixhalo_url": null
    },
    "events": "[omitted 5 venue events]"
  },
  "description": "The future sports fan isn’t discovered in a stadium or in front of a TV, they’re formed in group chats, AR lenses, virtual hangouts, and video games. This panel explores how U.S. Soccer and other forward-thinking sports properties and brands are leveraging platforms like Snapchat and Roblox (home of hit game FIFA Super Soccer) to meet young audiences where they already are.\n\nWith the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be the largest tournament in history, the race to build the next generation of fans is already underway. Leaders from U.S. Soccer, Snapchat and Gamefam will unpack how virtual experiences translate into measurable fandom, what metrics actually matter when engaging Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and how sports brands are redesigning the traditional fan funnel for a generation that expects authentic, always-on experiences.",
  "experience_level": "Intermediate",
  "audio_url": null,
  "accessibility": [],
  "accessible_venue": false,
  "add_bcl_url": false,
  "add_slido": false,
  "after_midnight": null,
  "age_policy": null,
  "american_sign_language": false,
  "apple_url": null,
  "audio_description": false,
  "caption_url": "Medium",
  "captioned_qa": false,
  "closed_captioned": false,
  "cpe_credit": false,
  "event_status": "none",
  "has_subtitles": false,
  "hash_tags": [],
  "high_sensory_experience": false,
  "live": false,
  "long_description": "The future sports fan isn’t discovered in a stadium or in front of a TV, they’re formed in group chats, AR lenses, virtual hangouts, and video games. This panel explores how U.S. Soccer and other forward-thinking sports properties and brands are leveraging platforms like Snapchat and Roblox (home of hit game FIFA Super Soccer) to meet young audiences where they already are.\n\nWith the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to be the largest tournament in history, the race to build the next generation of fans is already underway. Leaders from U.S. Soccer, Snapchat and Gamefam will unpack how virtual experiences translate into measurable fandom, what metrics actually matter when engaging Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and how sports brands are redesigning the traditional fan funnel for a generation that expects authentic, always-on experiences.",
  "meeting_url": null,
  "meeting_url_live": false,
  "mentorly_url": null,
  "mobile_audio_url": null,
  "open_captioned": false,
  "playlist_tag": null,
  "rebroadcast": false,
  "recommended_ids": [],
  "search_conversions": null,
  "short_program": false,
  "slido_url": null,
  "sort": "NEW BLEACHERS: WORLD CUP FANDOM IN THE AGE OF SNAPCHAT & ROBLOX",
  "source": "Official",
  "squad_up_url": null,
  "stream_embed": null,
  "stream_id": null,
  "stream_url": null,
  "strobe_warning": false,
  "subdiscipline": null,
  "summit": null,
  "summit_display_name": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "id": 2576,
      "name": "Recently Added",
      "created_at": "2026-02-26T12:08:59.538-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2026-02-26T12:08:59.538-06:00",
      "sort": "RECENTLY ADDED",
      "alpha": "R"
    },
    {
      "id": 1094,
      "name": "Branding",
      "created_at": "2016-11-28T14:54:15.982-06:00",
      "updated_at": "2022-02-14T12:07:45.213-06:00",
      "sort": "BRANDING",
      "alpha": "B"
    }
  ],
  "talent_attending": null,
  "title_only": false,
  "track_display_name": "Brand & Marketing track sponsored by Youtube",
  "trailer_id": null,
  "trailer_url": null,
  "video_on_demand": null,
  "vimeo_id": null,
  "vod": false,
  "xr_project_type": null,
  "youtube_id": null,
  "related_events": [],
  "related_sales_client": null
}