Venkateswaran first fell for football during the 2002 World Cup final between Brazil and Germany, watching from Kolkata. Now based in Bentonville, Arkansas, he drives around three hours to Kansas City for weekend shifts at the Fan Fest near the World War I Memorial.
His duties are practical but essential, from resetting stalls to clearing barricades after supporters leave. He has also stayed with local residents who opened their homes to volunteers, finding a community that stretches well beyond the stadium.
The scale of the opportunity is striking. received more than 1.1 million applications for roughly 50,000 volunteer places, with selected Indians working across fan zones, concourses and match venues.
Seattle-based Soumyajit Paul has waited even longer for his connection to the tournament. In 2006, he was among India’s final candidates for an official ball-boy role in Germany but missed out.
Two decades later, he is working in brand protection, checking for counterfeit tickets, unauthorised vendors and ambush marketing. His family is due to visit Dallas, where he will attend a semi-final as a supporter.
Others arrived through different routes. Rishu Saxena had never watched a full World Cup match before applying, while Alif Nasrin’s memories reach back to watching games with her father in Santiniketan.
For New York-based Viren Razdan, being surrounded by fans supporting their nations has been “bittersweet”. India’s absence remains impossible to ignore.
Paul’s comparison between Cape Verde’s population and his hometown of Howrah underlines the frustration: India has enormous football passion, yet no team on this stage.
As the tournament moves towards its decisive matches, these volunteers will keep helping others experience the World Cup. Their presence offers India a place in the event now - and a reminder of how much further the country still hopes to go.