Janelle Prieto is the newly appointed Chief Marketing and Community Officer for the FIFA World Cup 26™ Miami Host Committee — and few people are better prepared for the moment. A proud daughter of Cuban immigrants raised in Miami, she brings over 16 years of experience across sports, corporate, and non-profit sectors. She previously led communications for Concacaf, served as Vice President of Communications for the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee — where she launched the iconic LIVE IT MIAMI™ campaign featuring Pitbull — and spent six years at Diageo as Global Head of Learning for Life™, operating in 48 countries with over 160,000 graduates. Now, with the world’s biggest sporting event coming to her hometown, she is exactly where she was always meant to be.
The World Cup is coming to Miami. What does this moment mean for the city — and for the Latino community that has shaped its identity for decades?
Miami has always belonged on the world stage, but the World Cup feels different. This is personal. Miami was built by immigrants, by culture, by rhythm, by resilience — and the Latino community is such a huge part of that story. You feel it everywhere. In the music, the food, the language, and the way people celebrate life and soccer.
For so many Latino families, soccer was the connection to home long before it became mainstream in the United States. To see the biggest sporting event in the world come to a city that feels so deeply Hispanic and international is incredibly emotional. This World Cup is more than matches. It’s a love letter from Miami to the world.
Behind the excitement is an enormous responsibility. What has been the hardest part of leading at this level?
People see the glamour, but behind it is enormous pressure — balancing governments, FIFA, the media, sponsors, municipalities, and community expectations while the clock ticks toward an event the entire world will watch. There is no pause button.
The hardest part has been carrying the emotional weight of wanting to do this right for Miami. I’m not just marketing an event. I’m helping shape how millions of people will experience our community and our culture. Leadership is about staying calm in chaos — absorbing pressure without passing panic onto your team. That emotional discipline defines this role.
As a Cuban American woman in executive leadership, what does it mean to represent Latinos on this global platform?
It means everything. My parents came from Cuba with very little, like so many families who came to Miami chasing opportunity and freedom. There are moments where I stop and think — the daughter of Cuban immigrants is helping lead communications for the biggest sporting event on earth. That’s not lost on me.
I hope young Latina women look at this and realize there is space for them at these tables. You can be creative, emotional, ambitious, authentic, and strong — all at once. I lead as myself. Loud, passionate, proud of where I come from. That authenticity is part of Miami’s magic, too.
What cultural legacy do you hope remains in Miami after the tournament ends?
I hope people remember how Miami made them feel. Pride in our diversity, in our neighborhoods, in the fact that so many cultures can coexist and create something beautiful together. Maybe a little girl in Hialeah or Miami Gardens sees this moment and suddenly feels connected to the world. That is the legacy that matters. Human legacy. Cultural legacy.
The world is coming to Miami. What invitation would you give to the global audience?
Come experience the real Miami. Not the postcards. Not the stereotypes. The soul of this city is its people. Sitting at a cafecito ventanita. Hearing five languages in one room. Caribbean music, reggaeton, and house music playing side by side. The feeling that the whole world somehow exists inside one city.
During the World Cup, you’re not just coming to watch soccer. You’re coming to feel something.
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