Who: Cesar Conde, Chairman, NBCUniversal News Group; Karol G, Grammy Award Winning Singer & Songwriter; Nina Garica, Editor in Chief of ELLE Magazine; Gabriela Hearst, Founder & Creative Director of Gabriela Hearst; Carolyn Tisch, CEO & Founder of Next 3 and Owner of Gotham FC; Lyndon Barrois, Artist & Filmmaker; Tom Llamas, NBC Nightly News Anchor; Verónica Rodríguez, Telemundo Deportes Anchor.
What: As anticipation builds for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ final, global sports executives, visionary leaders, and industry trailblazers convened at the iconic Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for The Playmakers, a thought-provoking forum presented by Telemundo. Conversations explored the future of global sports, the powerful convergence of sport, media, music, fashion, and technology, and how these forces are redefining culture, storytelling, and the global entertainment landscape.
The opening session featured Cesar Conde in a dynamic conversation with Tom Llamas about the future of sports media. In a world of fragmented audiences, they explored how the World Cup remains a powerful global unifier and dove into Telemundo’s bold vision to redefine sports storytelling through an audience-first, tech-forward approach. Conde broke down the immense power of the Latino consumer, and mapped out what is next for Telemundo.
On Telemundo’s approach to this World Cup, Conde said, “Telemundo has set itself apart with this World Cup. The team brought a unique authenticity to the coverage, and going local from a storytelling perspective was fundamental. We combined iconic soccer figures from every playing Spanish-speaking country with our expert analysis, so audiences watching from Colombia, Argentina, or Mexico aren’t just seeing our Telemundo team, they’re seeing the icons of their past. That brings authenticity in a different way transcending language, age, and gender. The results speak for themselves.”
Global superstar Karol G sat down with Elle Editor in Chief Nina Garcia for a captivating conversation on how Latin influence is fundamentally reshaping the American sports and entertainment experience. Reflecting on her historic milestones, including becoming the first Latina to headline Coachella, performing at the NFL’s historic game in São Paulo, and selling out stadiums worldwide, Karol G shared what it truly means to represent millions on a global stage. Together, the duo illuminated the powerful relationship between music, sport, style, and cultural storytelling. On her culture and being the first Latina to headline Coachella, Karol G said “Now that I have the opportunity to travel the world with my music, I see that the world is beautiful and our community has so many beautiful things that we need to embrace, too, like our culture. We’re very family-oriented, we love our traditions, we love to invite people to what we do. We’re very hard workers — really, really hard workers. We’re very resilient because of our story.”
Panelists Gabriela Hearst, Carolyn Tisch, and Lyndon Barrois explore how soccer transcends the pitch to become a global cultural driver. Together, they discuss how soccer inspires art, influences fashion, and serves as one of the few events that can truly cross borders, generations, and industries to leave a lasting mark on culture. On the cultural mark left by this World Cup, Hearst said, “I think the fact that it’s the global community that is uniting us around a game, I think that is bringing the best and the unity. I think that’s why it’s even a moment of a collective win, that collective energy can truly change people’s emotional states, especially if you’re feeling the same feeling with thousands and thousands of people around the stadium. And that’s already scientifically proven. So it’s just that collective joy.”
Tisch added, “I hope we continue to see the growth in participation. We know what sports does for young people, particularly for people in low-income communities, how important sports are for their mental health, for their physical health, for their confidence. The list goes on, and this is in particular for girls. So if part of the legacy of the World Cup is the hope and the desire, and we’re building a lot of that infrastructure around it, that all kids get to continue to play sports and get the benefits.”
Barrois said “Sports help us realize how much more alike we are than we are different.”
When: Wednesday, July 15th, 2026
Where: Studio 8H, 30 Rock
Photo Caption: The Playmakers presented by Telemundo
Social Tag: @NBCUTelemundo
Photo Link: HERE
Image Credit: Bryan Bedder/Telemundo
