The return to classrooms around the country this time of year often comes with a custom: sharing out a summer highlight. It's not a competition, but if 49-year-old PA announcer Mark Fratto was jammed into a student's desk and asked to talk about a top moment from summer, he'd probably win.

"Being part of that World Cup presentation team was amazing," Fratto said. "You form a tight bond, and it's kind of like summer camp friends. You spend every waking minute together for seven weeks, and then it's over, and you go to your own corners of the world and your lives. As fun and intense as the matches were, the teamwork and the camaraderie there was also something really special."

For 39 days across June and July, Fratto had the unforgettable experience of being one of the PA announcers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a role which included the rare honor of working the tournament final. His entire career had prepared him for this task. Now, as he gets ready for his fourth season with the Washington Commanders, Fratto looks back with gratitude on how this summer challenged him and what it gave him.

Over the last couple of decades in the industry, the stage for Fratto has increased in size, ballooning from humble venues at Division III SUNY Geneseo to 40,000-seat stadiums with Army football and the MLS' New York City F.C. and roles with the Washington Wizards as well as the Commanders. Becoming accustomed to performing in front of Major League Soccer crowds that range from 25,000 to 45,000 alongside regular reps in front of approximately 70,000 at Commanders games. All this work progressively got him ready for the massive moment presented by the World Cup.

"Once you do all that, when you step into the stadium and there is 81,000, it kind of just feels like the next step or the next thing," Fratto said. "The events are huge, but not a 'big leap,' if that makes sense. To say that the Commanders experience prepared me for the World Cup is not an exaggeration."

The PA position with NYCFC, which he has occupied since the club's first season in 2015, helped give Fratto critical visibility and repute in the New York City/New Jersey soccer market. That ultimately led a company FIFA uses to find event talent like hosts and DJs to reach out. It didn't take much thought for Fratto to decide he wanted to throw his hat in the ring for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Fratto had to submit demos as part of his audition -- a typical part of the process. For an announcer, these consist of audio/video reels that include game calls and big moments. The other portion was a bit more "unique and rigorous."

"They asked for some specific, custom audition pieces, which for me included delivering the entire rosters for Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Japan, Korea, Iraq and Uzbekistan," he said. "Part of the challenge was to source pronunciations on our own. I called friends, family, boxing and MMA instructors that I know from all over the world, embassies and restaurants. And we got it done!"

Fratto learned that he got the job in January. Unlike players or referees who learn they will be participating in a final days before it happens, he knew he would be part of this historic event months in advance.

"When we had been discussing my assignment and whether I was going to be at the site where I regularly announce soccer versus going to Miami or Kansas City or something like that, I, of course, knew that the final would come with that, so it was surreal when that was offered," Fratto said.

Before he could even think about that championship, he had other things to focus on. Starting with a clash between Morocco and Brazil on June 13, Fratto announced eight total games at MetLife Stadium. In each one, he experienced all the beauty the World Cup has to offer, from passionate fan bases to underdog stories to stars showing up when the lights were brightest.

"I loved watching Mbappe. I got to announce four of his goals in the group stage and then in the in the knockout round against Sweden. Bringing Norway and Erling Haaland to America and watching how much Erling Haaland embraced America and loved America, that was an amazing thing, too," Fratto said while reflecting on some highlights.

No matter who was playing or the stakes on the day, Fratto went into every game with the same mindset and care. That meant nailing down the pronunciation for every player, coach, official, dignity, legend, anyone who was in attendance. He never lost sight of what appearing in a World Cup could mean for someone on a given day. Going through the motions was not an option in his mind.

"I had the goal of trying to be as authentic as possible in the way that I delivered all of the name pronunciations for all the different competitors from all the different countries. That was important to me, because I knew that there are fans that are coming there to support their teams, and I wanted them to feel at home, and I wanted to deliver for them a truly authentic experience," Fratto said. "You never know when it's somebody's first World Cup or somebody's last World Cup. For players and for fans that have dreamed their entire lives of being in those moments, you want to be able to rise to the occasion for them."

Being at a World Cup is one level of a precious, rare experience, but a World Cup final is another thing entirely. Fratto is used to his workdays being long and starting early, but the weekend of July 19 came with a relatively last-minute issue to work through. Poor air quality due to the Canadian wildfires forced certain stadium checks and rehearsals to take place on the morning of the final rather than the scheduled day before, which meant Fratto and others were at MetLife nine hours before kickoff.

A large chunk of that for Fratto was filled with logistics and details, making sure everything was squared away on the technical side and running through his parts. However, the emotion of it all didn't escape him. There were moments where reality -- the fact that he was the PA announcer for a World Cup final -- hit before kickoff.

"We did a pregame tribute to Leo Messi and him being one of the all-time World Cup top scorers. That kind of set the table about an hour and fifteen minutes before first kick," Fratto said. "If you had any doubt where you were, there you are doing a Messi career achievement announcement into a video celebrating who could be the greatest soccer player of all time and one of the best athletes the world has ever seen."

Every sport, because of its inherent structure and flow, presents specific tests and rewards for a PA announcer. For soccer, that looks like figuring out how to stay with the tension and longer periods without the intense outpour of emotion that comes with a team scoring.

"The NFL, the NBA, MLB, there's all these big moments, and the athletes deliver on them, and then as the announcer, you have to try to rise to meet the moment," Fratto said. "In soccer, there are just so few relative to other sports. The big goal only comes once a game, once every couple weeks, or, if you're certain clubs, maybe once a month, so you just have to be ready for that to happen."

When the time came, Fratto was ready for the big moment of the 2026 World Cup final. The tension leading up to it arguably couldn't have gotten any higher. It came in extra time, after 106 minutes of anxiety and entertainment. It was the only goal of the game. Everything about it was intense.

"The tension that comes with an extra time goal in a World Cup final is so high, but you're waiting for that moment --  for the one side to experience total ecstasy, and the other side, as a derivative experience, just total despair," Fratto said. "I think that's what makes those moments so unique when it comes to that sport and that championship."

When the final whistle blew, La Roja euphorically stormed the field, and the men in blue and white dropped to their knees in agony. It was then that Fratto delivered his final words at MetLife, wrapping up the championship and an unforgettable summer of soccer in the United States.

"The last thing I said was 'Your final score: Spain 1, Argentina 0. Congratulations to Spain, the 2026 World Cup champions,'" Fratto recalled. "That was a great thing to say and a great way to wrap up my World Cup experience."

After that final phrase, he made his way down to the confetti-adorned field. He said last goodbyes to his "summer camp" friend and collected a couple souvenirs for a shelf at home he dedicated to memorializing different events he has worked. There was even an exchange with Infantino who commended the tone Fratto was able to hit.

The immediate next days were all about family time. He had time to decompress and reflect. While soaking up the sun on the beaches of Delaware, thoughts of work ahead might have found a way of -- the end of July and early August, after all, means football.

Fratto is back in the booth at Northwest Stadium this Friday for the Commanders only home preseason game. The sport and stage may be different but the preparation doesn't change much. He's been diligently studying names and numbers for the guys who will take the field against the Dolphins.

"I'll want to know everyone from top to bottom because, similar to the World Cup or anything else, in that Dolphins game, that may be a practice squad player's first real NFL experience, and it may be his last," Fratto said. "I want to go out there, and I want to make their moment count by contributing in my small way."

Having achieved what many PA announcers dream of, it would be easy for Fratto to proverbially sit back and kick his feet up. That's not his style. Whenever he is behind the mic, which he'll now be doing for the foreseeable future with the Commanders after signing a new contract, he is determined to get better.

"I want to just continue to mature and evolve into an announcer who can deliver on these big moments," he said. "As the stage has gotten bigger throughout my career, learning to meet those has been both my enduring challenge, but also when we succeed all together in delivering those moments, my biggest points of pride in doing this job."