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Lutoff-Perlo heads FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee as CEO

Longtime former cruise leader Lisa Lutoff-Perlo was appointed president/CEO of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

May 2, 2024

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Lutoff-Perlo just separated from Royal Caribbean Group effective April 25, where she was vice chair for the past year.

Before that, she was president/CEO of Celebrity Cruises since 2014 and earlier held many trailblazing senior positions at Celebrity and at Royal Caribbean International. She started at Royal Caribbean in 1985 as a district sales manager. 

Gearing up to welcome 60,000 fans

'It's truly an honor to be one of the first former CEOs from outside the sports world chosen to lead such a prestigious event,' Lutoff-Perlo wrote on LinkedIn. 'Alongside my incredible team, we'll be spearheading efforts to foster robust collaboration between South Florida's public and private sector leaders, gearing up to welcome over 600,000 fans and visitors in the summer of 2026.'

Miami will host seven matches including two semifinals and the bronze final. All matches will be held at the Hard Rock Stadium.

'Like seven Super Bowls'

Lutoff-Perlo told The Miami Herald this is 'like seven Super Bowls.'

In her new role, she will work closely with FIFA World Cup 2026 Miami Host Committee Co-chairs Rodney Barreto, chairman and CEO of the Barreto Group, and Beau Ferrari, senior advisor to the chairman of NBCUniversal.

Fútbol background

Royal Caribbean is Inter Miami CF's main partner, official partner and official jersey partner, and Lionel Messi served as the godfather for Icon of the Seas.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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