Fleshing out the post-Word Cup tournament calendar
Right now, at the start of a crazy-action-packed summer of Scrabble, is always an awkward time to take a look at the tournament calendar in the medium term. Everyone's getting ready for their big summer championship tournament - and for some people, this year brings two or even three such events! - and that makes it difficult to look beyond the summer and think about what's next. This is true for players and directors alike. Players are always going to focus on the big event they're playing here and now; directors will focus on the one they're running. It's human nature.
For us here at CoCo HQ, though, we've got to be constantly planning ahead. We're always looking out for the player community and their tournament needs, and that requires having a forward focus. What event can our players play next? And what's after that one, and what's after that one? It never ends - nor should it.
For us right now, the focus is on Word Cup. We're working hard behind the scenes to get ready for our flagship summer championship. But we've already hyped that one up plenty - you can read about it here and here and here. Today, let's ask - what else is on the horizon? The big one is upon us, but what comes after that?
Portland, OR
For the second year in a row, we're looking forward to hosting people in Portland over Labor Day weekend. This time around, we've got Scott Smith and Chris Sjöholm on board as organizer and director, and we're looking forward to an excellent long weekend of Scrabble.
This event features 28 games in total (including the Friday early bird), and we're expecting not only a strong field, but a juicy prize pool as well - we'll have $3,000 in sponsorship money. This is one you won't want to miss.
New Orleans, LA
It's back! The next Crescent City Cup is already on the tournament calendar - we are confirmed for the weekend of Jan. 17, 2026. It's hard to believe that we're already coming up on the 14th annual CCC. Shout out to everyone who still remembers the first one.
As always, we're grateful for the contributions of the entire NOLA team - Tim and Kate Fukawa-Connelly, Tim and Lila Crotty, Austin and Lindsay Shin, and Christian Kay and Andrew Kay. They put on a fantastic event every single year, and we already can't wait for them to do it again in '26.
Hood River, OR
Speaking of long-running annual events, Jennifer and I are excited to welcome everyone back to Oregon again next winter for the 8th annual Hood River Open.
If you've attended a HORO before, you know what to expect - it's a long weekend in a rustic log cabin with 20 of your closest Scrabble friends, along with copious food and drink, lots of after-hours fun, and a competitive 20-game Scrabble tournament.
If you haven't attended a HORO before... well, you should probably make 2026 the year you rectify that.
...and more to come!
Beyond the three major tournaments we've got on the docket for late 2025 and early '26, the rest still needs to be fleshed out. We're hoping to add a little bit of everything in the months ahead. The plan is to bring back a couple more of our flagship multi-day events, add a peppering of 1-day tournaments all across the land, and even to put our heads together and start brainstorming some big plans for 2026 and beyond. In other words, we're getting ready to bring you more Scrabble tournaments of all shapes and sizes. You name it, we're working on it.
But again: Right now, a lot of people are understandably focused on the summer championships at hand. So for now, we'll largely focus on making the most of Word Cup season - but just know, the future is coming before you know it. As always, we'll be working to make it awesome. And if you'd like to help, we'd love to have you.