After all the planning and all the prepping and all the behind-the-scenes machinations and whatnot, we're finally starting to approach go time. Word Cup 2024 is a mere five weeks away. It's really happening!

Our whole team is raring to go. We couldn't be more excited. And we hope everyone else out there feels the same way.

With the event drawing ever closer, now is a great time to give everyone - players, spectators back home, the entire Scrabble world at large - an in-depth look at what to expect next month.

Let's dive right in...

The host city

Albuquerque, NM is ready to be a wonderful host for next month's Word Cup. If you've never been to ABQ before, you're in for a treat - get ready for beautiful scenery, unique and delicious local cuisine, and a hip college-town vibe that can't be beat.

Plus, you can take in an Isotopes game! The local minor league baseball team is in town the same time we are, taking on the Round Rock Express on Friday and Saturday nights. Scrabble all day, then a ballgame in the evening - life could be a lot worse.

The event

There's nothing quite like a championship-level Scrabble tournament - and this one is as good as it gets. At this year's Word Cup, you can expect 31 rounds of Scrabble across five days, against a large and diverse field of players from all across North America and all over the world. You'll find everyone from rank novices to world champions.

And that's just the Scrabble part of it! After hours, you can expect all kinds of fun additional activities, including tours of Albuquerque, hosted dinners, a trivia contest, and of course the aforementioned baseball outings. At this year's Word Cup, you can expect an elite Scrabble tournament and an enjoyable weeklong vacation, all rolled into one.

The field

We're excited to welcome a deep field of Collins competitors to this year's Word Cup - 45 of them as of this writing, and we're hoping to bring in a few more still. The group is loaded at the top, including two world champions and a host of other players who have won national titles in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere.

There's a star-studded list of 26 players in Division 1 - and a robust D2 as well, with 19 in the field so far. We're proud to say this Word Cup will be welcome to Collins enthusiasts of all skill levels, and we're looking forward to seeing the action unfold in both divisions.

The live coverage

We hope to see as many Scrabble lovers as possible come and join us in ABQ next month. But, for those who can't make the trip: We're also proud to offer robust live coverage that makes it easy for everyone to follow along with the action.

We plan to have round-by-round updates on our live coverage page. A photo gallery full of pics. Regular updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Recap posts on the very blog you're reading right now. And, perhaps most importantly, a world-class live stream with the best producers and broadcasters in the business.

We're pleased to have the dream team of Christian Kay and Andrew Kay running the stream for Word Cup 2024, and Will Anderson as the lead broadcaster playing host for all 31 rounds. We'll also have a deep and diverse rotation of co-commentators alongside Will throughout the tournament - more to come on that.

As always, we're here to offer the best of both worlds - a top-notch tournament experience for every single player in the playing room, as well as comprehensive multimedia content for every single Scrabble fan out there in our global audience.