By: Alexander Charles (SSP’26), Admissions & Alumni Fellow As millions of fans tuned in to cheer for their national teams during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Security Studies Program (SSP) alumnus Sina Nemazi (SSP’23) was focused on a different goal: protecting the international tournament from cyber attacks. As a cybersecurity manager for FIFA, Nemazi led efforts to safeguard the digital infrastructure behind one of the world’s largest sporting events. His responsibilities ranged from protecting FIFA’s internal systems and corporate networks to cybersecurity coordination and response with host cities. At the same time, Nemazi interfaced with the FBI, CISA, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and Mexico’s National Cyber Incident Response Center, facilitating cross-border cyber threat intelligence sharing while developing FIFA’s trusted partnerships, coordination mechanisms and operational playbooks that will strengthen cybersecurity cooperation for future international sporting events. Nemazi credits his success at FIFA to SSP’s technology and security concentration that taught him to look beyond the technical understanding of cybersecurity. The classes provided the framework to view cyber as a transnational security issue that demands strategic thinking, policy expertise and the ability to navigate complex relationships across governments and international organizations. But navigating complex bureaucracies is nothing new for Nemazi. Before joining FIFA, he served as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris administration as a special adviser to the assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While his role at FIFA focused on the operational side of cybersecurity, his work in government centered on cyber governance and policy, developing the cybersecurity of U.S. critical infrastructure while contributing to emerging technology initiatives through the AI Safety and Security Board. Nemazi says that SSP equipped him with the practical skills that would later serve him at the White House. Courses such as Writing for