Our World Cup Summer

Miami SCORES poet-athletes spent the summer walking FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami

This summer, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ came to North America for the first time since 1994 — the same year SCORES was founded. Some of our poet-athletes walked onto the pitch as official World Cup escorts. Others cheered from the stands, wrote poems about it, or participated in watch parties with their teammates. However it showed up, the World Cup found its way into every corner of the network this summer — here's how Miami SCORES' went.

88 Miami SCORES poet-athletes got the call every young soccer fan dreams about: walking World Cup players onto the field. It happened through a partnership with Quaker and Common Goal, which brought poet-athletes from eight SCORES affiliates onto World Cup pitches for more than 30 matches this summer.

For Miami SCORES, that meant our poet-athletes lining up in the tunnel at Hard Rock Stadium before the Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay, Uruguay vs Cape Verde, and Brazil vs Scotland Group Stage matches and the Quarter-Final Match between Norway and England, in which none other than Haaland had a special moment with our poet-athlete Julez!

Poet-athletes were also featured on the Miami Herald, recounting the excitement

of the day.

The Next Chapter of a World Cup Legacy

The 1994 FIFA World Cup expanded access to soccer and invested in young people long after the final whistle. More than three decades later, that same impact continues through the SCORES Network — 15,000 young people, 300+ Title I schools, 13 cities across the U.S. and Canada. 

This summer, as the World Cup came back to North America, poet-athletes carried that legacy forward in their own words. One of them was Gabriella from America SCORES Bay Area, whose poem captures what so many of them felt this summer:

I Am a World Cup Poet-Athlete by Denisse

I am a poet-athlete who never gives up and always tries my best

I am a teammate like a helping hand that lifts others up.

I am a dreamer who believes anything is possible

I am strong when I work hard and stay focused

I am proud because I represent my team with respect

I am inspired by my family, coaches, and teammates.

I am ready to play with courage and confidence

I am the World Cup because I bring people together through soccer

I am like a bright star shining on the field