The Art of the Global Game Speaker Series

The Bay Area Host Committee will hold an invite-only speaker series in Oakland on Monday, May 18, as part of the region’s final month of events before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The event, titled “The Art of the Global Game,” is scheduled for the Rotunda and follows the committee’s May 12 flag-raising ceremonies across Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara, Redwood City, Santa Cruz and Bay Area airports. The committee said the Oakland program will focus on the intersection of sport, culture and creativity. Patch first listed the event as part of Oakland’s World Cup lead-up calendar. ### Which event is happening in Oakland on May 18? “The Art of the Global Game” is the Bay Area Host Committee’s May 18 speaker series in Oakland, according to the committee and Patch. The event is being staged at the Rotunda in collaboration with Oakland Roots, Bay FC and the San Jose Earthquakes. May 18 is one of several dates the committee has tied to its “30 Days to Go” campaign ahead of the World Cup, which opens on June 11, 2026. The Bay Area Host Committee said the Oakland program is part of a broader run of “activations, celebrations, and community-driven initiatives” planned across the region. (patch.com) ### Who is expected to speak? Zaileen Janmohamed, president and chief executive of the Bay Area Host Committee, is listed as a speaker, along with Edreece Arghandiwal, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Oakland Roots. The committee also named Serena Marini, Bay FC’s senior director of creative strategy and design, and Leslie Osborne, the former U.S. women’s national team player and Bay FC co-founder. (bayareahostcommittee.com) The Bay Area Host Committee’s speaker list also includes Omri Gal, founder and executive director of Design FC, Angelina Narvaez, an iHeartMedia host at 94.9, and Megan Schoettmer, regional president for Northern California at PNC Bank. The committee said PNC Bank is supporting the event. (bayareahostcommittee.com) ### What is the discussion supposed to cover? The Bay Area Host Committee said the Oakland event will examine “the intersection of sport, culture, and creativity” through the theme “The Art of the Global Game.” The committee said the conversation will center on how Bay Area teams and organizations are working with voices in fashion, design and art. (bayareahostcommittee.com) The committee said those partnerships are aimed at local economic, social and environmental impact. That description comes from the host committee’s event announcement; no separate public agenda or transcript was available in the sources reviewed. (bayareahostcommittee.com) ### How does this fit into the Bay Area’s World Cup countdown? May 12 marked the Bay Area Host Committee’s coordinated flag-raising ceremonies across multiple cities and airports, including Oakland International Airport, as the region reached 30 days until the tournament. Patch reported that Oakland was one of several Bay Area cities selected for the countdown event. (bayareahostcommittee.com) The Bay Area is scheduled to host six World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium, according to Patch. The Oakland speaker series is one of the cultural and community events being used to build attention before those matches begin in June. ### What comes after the Oakland speaker series? June 6 is the next major public date listed by Patch, with a “Count Us In” activation in which more than 20,000 participants will attempt a Guinness World Record for a 10-second soccer-ball juggling effort. (patch.com) Patch attributed that figure to the Bay Area Host Committee. June 9 is also on the calendar, when officials are expected to unveil a renovated community turf pitch in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood and hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Patch said the site is intended to support year-round programming with groups including Eat.Learn.Play, Oakland Genesis and the Oakland Athletic League, while the Bay Area Host Committee’s newsroom and Patch page carry the event details. (patch.com)