Omaha students get moment to shine at World Cup game in Kansas City

The students walked players onto the field ahead of the Netherlands vs. Tunisia game on June 25 as part of the Quaker Oats Player Escort Program. 

The Jackson Elementary students got the opportunity through their involvement with Football for the World. The nonprofit focused on getting at-risk youth involved with soccer partners with the afterschool program Completely KIDS Jackson to offer a soccer league. 

Having children walk players onto the field is a longstanding tradition at the World Cup. For the 2026 tournament, Quaker Oats is partnering with the nonprofit Common Goal to sponsor the player escort program. 

Across the 11 United States host cities, 1,400 children will have the opportunity to serve as player escorts during the World Cup through partnerships with local organizations, according to the program's website. 

Cristina Salazar, program coordinator for Completely KIDS Jackson, served as one of the chaperones for the trip to Kansas City. She said they took off from Omaha at 7 a.m. Thursday and didn't get back until 12:30 a.m. Salazar said the students were riding a high for the rest of the night. 

"It was like 17-and-a-half hours of pure joy," she said. "The kids had a blast."

Five of the students walked out hand in hand with players for the Netherlands, while one student walked out with a Tunisian player. They stood on the field alongside students from Kansas City as the national anthems were played. 

Salazar said it was emotional to see the students out on the field. 

"It was an insane moment to experience, because those are our kids," she said. "Seeing them do something as big as being at the World Cup, being a player escort for something as big as FIFA, that was insane."

Afterward, students were able to watch the game, which the Netherlands ended up winning 3-1. 

All six students are completely obsessed with soccer, Salazar said. 

"I think it's something that they're going to remember for the rest of their life," she said. 

Football for the World started holding the soccer league at Jackson a few years ago, Salazar said. The nonprofit also created the mini soccer pitch at the school that Salazar said the students use daily.  

Salazar said it was hard to pick just six students for the opportunity. She said she narrowed down a list of 12 students who had been involved in the soccer program for multiple years and then randomly selected six. 

"It was the luck of the draw of those six to get chosen, because it was just too hard to decide," she said. 

Other Omaha students from schools such as Nelson Mandela Elementary and Sacred Heart School are also participating in the player escort program through Football for the World, Salazar said. 

"It was a way to showcase our students here at Jackson, but also the students for Completely KIDS and for Football for the World," she said. "I think our kiddos are so talented, and they're going to be doing amazing things."