Our whole CoCo team is riding pretty high after the success of Word Cup 2024. We welcomed a large swath of the Scrabble world to Albuquerque last month - all told, we hosted 51 CSW players, sanctioned 776 total games, and doled out over $19,000 in prize money. There was world-class competition at the top tables, and there was much fun had by all, at every table.

Another year goes by, and another fantastic major championship is in the books. It makes us immensely proud - and it also leaves us eagerly looking forward to the next one.

For our team, the next Word Cup is one that we're particularly excited for. For the first time in 2025, we've been working closely with the WGPO team to plan the event from start to finish, beginning with choosing a location. In Naperville in 2022, as well as in Albuquerque this year, we arrived later in the process, with a city and a venue already picked out - we just jumped in and started directing. But now, as our partnership with WGPO has deepened, our plan for next year and beyond is to work together the whole way, starting with - literally - putting Word Cup 2025 on the map.

And as you know if you heard our announcement on the final day of this year's Word Cup, or if you've checked cross-tables, or if you're just generally a part of the Scrabble community and you're not living under a rock, we're excited to host next year's Word Cup in St. Louis, Missouri.

This has been a long time coming! We began the process of choosing a Word Cup host city way back in March, and we were high on St. Louis as a candidate all along. We're thrilled that this is finally coming to fruition.

To share just a few of the reasons we're hyped about St. Louis next summer...

The central location. When we talk to players about whether they can make Word Cup, this is consistently one of the key factors. "Can I get there easily?" And with St. Louis, just about everyone can. Their airport flies to about 80 different domestic and international locations, and the city is also a relatively easy drive from just about anywhere in the midwestern U.S.

The awesome venue. We're not going just anywhere in St. Louis - we've chosen the St. Louis Union Station Hotel for our tournament venue, which is a St. Louis institution since 1894. The hotel is acclaimed for its four-star customer service and hospitality, spectacular views of the city, and wide variety of restaurants and bars, among other amenities. (There's even a rooftop bar that's been recognized as one of the world's best!)

Easy walkability. Because we're so centrally located in such a major city, you'll have an easy time finding everything you need each day on foot. Whether it's your morning coffee, a quick and convenient lunch, or fun stuff to do after hours, it'll all be just a few blocks away - if even that.

Cool landmarks as far as the eye can see. The Gateway Arch! The City Museum, which features a "weirdly wonderful" collection of tunnels, caves, and slides! Busch Stadium, home of baseball's St. Louis Cardinals! And many more. We'll be right in the middle of downtown St. Louis, which means many of the city's most popular attractions will be within easy stumbling distance.

Delicious meals. If there's one thing St. Louis definitely does right, it's food - especially if you're into barbecue. When we sent one nearby player to scout the venue before finalizing our choice - we'll leave him anonymous but his name starts with a C and ends with a "hris Lipe" - the first thing he did was report back with a detailed account of his platter of BBQ ribs and sides. Our committee can confirm - this was a solid plus in the pro-St. Louis column.

The bottom line is, whenever we reach out to players and ask them about playing Word Cup (or any other Scrabble tournaments, for that matter), location is everything to them. People want to play events they can get to quickly, efficiently, and affordably. They want to have a smooth experience once they're there, including easily walkable meals and leisure activities. They want a city that's the right fit for them - and for their friends, too, because what fun is a Scrabble tournament unless your friends can all join you there?

After months of research, we are confident we've chosen a city in St. Louis that checks all of the above boxes. We're excited to be a part of the 2025 Word Cup - and come next summer, we hope to see you there.