A World Cup Generation of Poet-Athletes
The FIFA World Cup 2026™ has now come to North America two times, each one a turning point for SCORES. In 1994, when the World Cup first came to the United States, legacy funding helped inspire the founding of SCORES. Thirty-two years later, Poet-Athletes from across the very network borne from that first World Cup served as player escorts in eight of the sixteen North American host cities.
Though the Men’s World Cup is officially over, the memories it created will last a lifetime. Whether they were walking onto the pitch, hand-in-hand with Lionel Messi, or watching in their communities, cheering for the countries their families call home, a new generation of SCORES Poet-Athletes is now part of the World Cup legacy - as fans, storytellers, community members, and leaders.
Poet-Athletes are young people who are committed to their physical, emotional, and social well-being. They use their voices to express themselves, serve as leaders in their communities, and speak up against injustice.
Poet-Athletes Walk Onto the World Cup Pitch
Through a partnership with Quaker and Common Goal, Poet-Athletes from the SCORES affiliates that were World Cup Host Cities participated in the Player Escort Program. They had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk out alongside the players in 37 matches. They were selected for their leadership, commitment, and contributions to their teams and communities. A Miami SCORES Poet-Athlete described her walkout experience as “the best moment of her life”.
The walkouts began on opening day, when Toronto SCORES Poet-Athletes took the pitch as Canada opened its World Cup campaign at home. From there, Poet-Athletes were present for some of the tournament’s biggest matches:
Vancouver Poet-Athletes walked out when Canada returned home to face Qatar
Toronto, Vancouver, and Seattle Poet-Athletes each appeared in Round of 32 knockout games
Boston, LA, and Miami Poet-Athletes walked out in the Quarter-Final matches
Seattle Poet-Athletes escorted the US team in their final game against Belgium
New York Poet-Athletes escorted the captains of both Spain and Argentina in the Final match
Poet-Athletes didn’t just appear on millions of TV screens around the world, they went viral. Tashane captured the hearts of fans and spectators when she gave Erling Braut Haaland a high five before Norway’s match against Brazil. Dejuan graced ESPNFC’s Instagram grid after walking out with Messi for the final game.
New York SCORES Poet-Athletes led the way for the final match on Sunday, July 19. While Dejuan stood first in line with Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi, his teammate Iqra stood first in line with Spain’s captain, Rodri.
Though Chicago was not a host city, our Poet-Athletes were able to have their own World Cup player escort experience. Along with Milwaukee SCORES Poet-Athletes, they escorted the USMNT onto the pitch for their final friendly against Germany on June 6 at Soldier Field in front of a sold out crowd of over 60,000 people.
Chicago and Milwaukee Poet-Athletes stand with members of the US Men’s National Team for their last friendly before leaving for the World Cup on June 6.
Telling the World Cup Story Through Poetry
During National Poetry Month,the SCORES Network partnered with Telemundo Station Group — the exclusive Spanish-language broadcast home of FIFA World Cup 2026™ in the U.S. — to launch Atletas Poetas, a national youth poetry celebration spanning seven markets: Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Boston, Washington D.C., Miami, and the San Francisco Bay Area. 3rd-5th grade Poet-Athletes wrote and performed original poems in Spanish or bilingual Spanish-English exploring the themes of the World Cup — soccer, unity, community, and joy. National winners were celebrated at the Soccer Legacy Gala on May 8 in San Jose — an event that honored the legacy of the 1994 World Cup and the ongoing work of SCORES across North America.
As part of the showcase, Telemundo Chicago News Anchor Mariana Reyes invited one of our two Chicago finalists, Jostin, and SCORES coach and alumna Melany to the Telemundo studio to speak with Mariana to share more about their SCORES experience and the magic that happens when soccer is combined with poetry.
That storytelling continued this summer. Across the network, Poet-Athletes journaled and wrote about the matches they attended, what it meant to see the world's game played in their cities, and about the countries their families root for. Many come from families whose roots trace to nations competing in the tournament. The World Cup gives them a stage to celebrate those connections and tell their own stories as young people growing up across North America. One of them was Gabriella from America SCORES Bay Area, whose poem captures what so many felt this summer:
My Fav 2026 World Cup
Why does the World Cup matter?
Because it is more than just a game
Different flags, same fire,
but it all feels the same.
From small little towns,
to the brightest stadium lights
I stay up all night
just to live for these fights
Thousands of people
and one ball
Once the ball moves,
the world goes with it,
Everybody is ready to scream
GOALLL!!
It wasn’t just SCORES Poet-Athletes who expressed what the World Cup meant to them through poetry. After a difficult loss to Argentina in the Semi-Final Round, England’s Jude Bellingham said that he “struggled to find the words to process the heartbreak” and chose to share a poem written by the team’s bus driver, Michael Chandler. In interviews about the poem, Chandler said that he had been “jotting down notes and stanzas” while the team was in Kansas City and was inspired to document their games through poetry.
The Next Chapter of a World Cup Legacy
In the summer of 1994, the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup for the first time. That fall, Julie Kennedy, a 21-year-old teacher and Teach for America Fellow in Washington, D.C., started an after-school soccer and poetry program for girls at Marie Reed Elementary School. Kennedy had a soccer ball, a love of poetry, and a belief that the young people in her community deserved a place to belong after school.
When the FIFA World Cup first came to the United States in 1994, it sparked more than an excitement for the game. The tournament’s legacy helped launch SCORES, beginning with one after-school soccer and poetry program at an elementary school in Washington, D.C. Chicago was one of the two inaugural affiliates, planting roots in the city’s West Side in 2000. More than three decades later, that same legacy has grown into the SCORES Network, serving 15,000 Poet-Athletes across 13 cities in the U.S. and Canada. In Chicago alone, we have served over 10,000 Poet-Athletes across 37 schools in 12 neighborhoods. To this day, the SCORES Network (formerly America SCORES) stands as one of the most successful grassroots programs to emerge from the 1994 World Cup.
This summer, that legacy came full circle. Poet-Athletes walked onto the pitch, celebrated the countries their families call home, and shared their experiences through poetry.
The tournament may be over, but its legacy lives on in the young people it inspired. Thirty-two years after the World Cup helped launched SCORES, a new generation of Poet-Athletes is carrying that legacy forward — through soccer, poetry, leadership, and community.
“Without soccer, I would have been nothing.
Thanks to soccer, I am writing and speaking these words.
Thanks to soccer, I am who I am.”
