Daniel Marin (MBA ’11, BS ’05), who earned both his bachelor’s degree in advertising and his MBA from Florida International University, now helps lead global communications for FIFA World Cup 2026, a tournament expected to be the biggest in the event’s history. As executive director of public relations, he helps present the tournament to the world: what it is, where it will be played, how it will unfold and why 2026 will be unlike any World Cup before it.
Marin traces his foundations back to FIU. He said the university’s diverse student body and broad academic offerings helped shape both his curiosity and his professional direction.
“FIU were formative years for me,” Marin said. “It really is international. It’s not just in the name. I got a lot of exposure to new cultures, to people from all walks of life, from all over the country, all over the world. That put me on the path to really appreciate international business, international communications.”
As an undergraduate, Marin found his footing in communications, moving from an interest in advertising toward public relations. He later returned to FIU for his MBA, a decision he said felt natural because of his familiarity with the university and confidence in the education it offered. The program also aligned with his work at UPS, where he joined the first cohort of a corporate-sponsored MBA pathway.
That combination of communications training, business education and international perspective helped propel a career that included roles at UPS, Netflix and Amazon before bringing him to FIFA. Marin said those experiences positioned him to take on work with increasing global scope.
“I love being the bridge between entities in the United States and different parts of the world,” he said. “Once I was put on that international path, it just put me in positions with different multinationals, and different types of companies with international scope. That’s basically what brought me to the doorstep of FIFA.”
At FIFA, Marin said the role differs from his previous corporate positions because of the scale and emotional weight of the tournament.
“We deal in the business of passion,” he said. “That’s not something that is measurable per se. It’s not something that gives you quantitative data that you’re always able to go back to. But it is very much what we’re there for.”
He also credits FIU with preparing him to work in a global environment.
“I’d say FIU prepared me to be on this global stage because of the DNA of the campus, the diversity in students, languages, the cultures,” Marin said. “Having that exposure at an early stage, entwined with my education, made the transition into an environment like this seamless.”
Now, as Miami prepares to host the World Cup matches, Marin said representing both FIU and his hometown on a global stage carries special meaning.
“Representing FIU, representing Miami in this moment, it’s a badge of honor,” he said. “I’m a kid from Kendall. This is not a position I ever thought I’d find myself in.”
With two FIU degrees and a career that now places him at the center of the world’s biggest sporting event, Marin stands as a powerful example of the kind of talent FIU can help develop.