Years after receiving help as a young spectator, Chen Zhanghuan returns to soccer's biggest stage as a volunteer, this time helping others.

When Chen Zhanghuan received his FIFA World Cup 2026 volunteer certificate after two months of service, it meant far more to him than recognition. It marked a journey from watching the World Cup to playing a part in making it happen.

"In the past, I experienced sporting events as a spectator and a learner," said the 26-year-old graduate student at Shanghai University of Sport.

"This time, I wanted to step onto the global sports stage as a member of China's younger generation — not just watching history unfold but helping to shape it."

The seeds of that ambition were planted in 2018. Fresh out of high school, Chen traveled alone to Russia for his first World Cup. When he lost his tickets and passport on a train, Russian volunteers and local officials coordinated across cities to retrieve his missing documents from Moscow.

"That was an incredibly meaningful experience for me," Chen recalled. "I was terrified and helpless in a foreign country, and the volunteers stepped in without hesitation. Their kindness left such a deep impression on me that I remember thinking: one day, I want to be that person for someone else."

That opportunity came when FIFA opened applications to volunteer at the 2026 World Cup in August 2025, drawing more than 1 million applicants worldwide. After months of anticipation and an interview, Chen was selected as an international volunteer in Kansas City, Missouri.

His family initially worried about him traveling abroad alone, but their concern gradually gave way to pride.

"When they watch the matches on TV, my parents tell their colleagues that although their son never played in the World Cup, he is there helping out behind the scenes," Chen said.

Assigned to transport services, Chen helped clear routes before team buses arrived, maintain order along VIP and media corridors and manage large crowds on match days.

"I came to realize that behind the exhilarating 90 minutes fans see on the pitch is a massive, meticulously coordinated operation," he said.

His shifts routinely lasted more than six hours and could stretch to 10 with the added demands of managing spectators entering and leaving the venue.

Two matches stood out in Chen's memory.

The first was Argentina versus Algeria, which also marked Lionel Messi's first appearance at this World Cup. For Chen, being so close to the energy and intensity of a World Cup match was unforgettable.

The second was Ecuador versus Curacao, which held greater personal significance. Chinese referee Ma Ning officiated the match, with Zhou Fei, a faculty member at Shanghai University of Sport, serving as an assistant referee.

"Seeing Chinese referees command the pitch at the World Cup filled me with immense pride — as a young Chinese citizen and especially as a student of the same university as Zhou," Chen said.

Yet what stayed with him most was not only the action on the pitch, but also the connections he formed with people from around the world.

Chen befriended fellow volunteers from Jordan, Egypt, South Korea and Ghana. One of them, Nathan, a local volunteer from nearby Raymore, gave Chen a scarf from his hometown after learning that he had come all the way from China to serve at the tournament.

"He couldn't believe someone would travel halfway around the world just to help make the World Cup happen," Chen said. "But that's exactly what made it meaningful."

Another encounter brought Chen's journey full circle.

After one match, a group of Colombian fans approached him for directions. Chen showed them how to navigate the public transportation system and gave them commemorative pins.

Years earlier in Russia, Chen had been the young visitor in an unfamiliar country, relying on strangers for help. Now, in Kansas City, he had become the volunteer helping others find their way.

"I am from China and they are from Colombia. Yet there we were, united by soccer and a simple act of kindness," Chen said.

In Canada, fellow Chinese volunteer Wang Man found a similar sense of meaning through human connections.

"This was my first time volunteering at a major international event," Wang said. She had initially signed up simply to challenge herself and step outside her comfort zone, but what surprised her most was how meaningful the relationships with other volunteers became.

"People from different countries, cultures and walks of life came together because of soccer," she said. Every day, they worked side by side, chatted with one another and guided fans through the venue.

"I'll cherish those days of running around in our volunteer uniforms for a long time," she said.

For Chen, those encounters reinforced a belief he had long held.

"I've always believed sports aren't merely about winning or losing; they're about bringing people closer," he said.

The experience also reshaped Chen's career aspirations, steering him toward more people-centered work.

"I realized how much I value the human side of things — the conversations, the interactions, and those small moments when you offer someone help and see their face light up," he said.

The World Cup journey that began eight years earlier, when Chen was a young spectator in Russia, ultimately became something much more personal: a chance to offer others the kind of help he had once received himself.

"This might be a once-in-a-lifetime journey," he said. "What I'm taking home is the confidence that I can step up anywhere in the world and make a meaningful contribution, as well as a stronger belief that sports have the power to make the world more connected."

Contact the writers at zhengzheng@chinadaily.com.cn