It still sort of feels like 2024 just got underway, but the truth is we're almost two months in. The vernal equinox is right around the corner, and after that, it's basically summer before you know it. Which means, of course, it's never too early to start thinking about your plans for this year's big championship Scrabble event.

So let's talk about it! Today, let's go deep on the 2024 Word Cup, which is now only five short months away.

The host city

Who's excited for Albuquerque?

I sure am. And I'll be honest - I was a little apprehensive at first, not really knowing much about the city and not knowing what to expect. But in the months since, every conversation I've had with people who know Albuquerque well has left me expecting awesomeness.

What you can expect from ABQ is a gorgeous place, a cool college town vibe (you've got the University of New Mexico right there in your backyard), friendly people, reasonable prices, and delicious food. (Most notably, green chile stew.)

There's a rich native culture. There's an incredible folk art museum. There are a handful of legendary eateries - plus a top-notch board game cafe. In short, there's a little something for everyone.

Even if you're skeptical now, I'd recommend giving Albuquerque a try. You just might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

The field

I'm optimistic that this year's Word Cup CSW field is going to be a big, vibrant group, loaded with top players, intermediates and newbies alike.

We're off to a good start so far - we've only been soliciting entries for a little while, and already we've got a cohort of 24 Collinsers, including 15 players in Division 1 and 9 in Division 2. But that's just the beginning. I'm excited for us to bring in more, more, more players, across both divisions. We got 71 total for the last CoCo-sanctioned Word Cup, in Naperville in 2022, and that's when we were just starting to come out of the pandemic. Let's try and shatter that mark this year, shall we?

The directing team

When you play CSW at Word Cup this summer, you're guaranteed to be in good hands. While I myself am trying to take a step back from directing tournaments quite so much, and my tentative plan right now is to play this year's Word Cup, I have zero doubt that the rest of our directing team will do a stupendous job.

Right now, the plan is for Peter Armstrong and Rob Robinsky to lead the way, and both of them are pros. They've got this covered. Additionally, we're circling a few other people who might potentially be willing to pitch in.

By the by: If you're out there reading this and you might want to help run Word Cup, drop us a line. We're always in the market for a great volunteer.

The live coverage

As always, one of our priorities is to make sure the live coverage of our championship event is as robust as possible. After all, what good is the Super Bowl if it's not on TV for the world to see? Our goal is to make sure that everyone, whether they're in the playing room in ABQ or not, gets to enjoy Word Cup.

We're working now on putting together a world-class stream, which is always a key focus for us. Additionally, we're planning to have people on site putting together everything from Instagram posts to game videos to recap blogs and more.

Of course, we hope everyone out there comes to Word Cup and plays. But for those who can't, we'll provide as many ways as possible to follow along.

The vibes

Cool cities, strong fields, capable directors... whatever. Above all of that, here's the thing that really matters: Word Cup is your best opportunity all year to have all your Scrabble friends under one roof, in one big playing room, duking it out over the board by day and having great times by night. There's nothing quite like a national championship event.

So don't miss your chance. Be a part of this one. Go ahead and do the thing - sign up for Word Cup 2024 today. You'll be glad you did.