A World Cup Generation of Poet-Athletes

The FIFA World Cup 2026 is almost over, and across the United States and Canada, SCORES Poet-Athletes have experienced the tournament in their own ways — some walked onto the pitch as player escorts, others attended youth festivals, and some watched matches in their communities, cheering for the countries their families call home, and reflecting on it all through poetry.

Together, they captured this historic moment through the voices of young people across North America — thirty-two years after the FIFA World Cup helped inspire the founding of SCORES, a new generation of Poet-Athletes is now part of its legacy, as fans, storytellers, leaders, and community members.

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. 

SCORES Was Born From a World Cup

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.

SCORES’ founder, Julie Kennedy, reflects on the Network’s origin story and growth as a grassroots legacy of the 1994 World Cup.

The energy of that tournament drew early supporters to her work, and the program grew alongside the World Cup's own legacy. The first grant the U.S. Soccer Foundation ever awarded — established as part of that legacy — went to DC SCORES, and so did the last, disbursed in 2017. That funding carried the program from one school in D.C. to Boston, then Chicago, and eventually to Cleveland, spanning a network that today serves 15,000 young people across 13 cities in the United States and Canada, reaching students at more than 300 Title I schools. Three decades later, the SCORES Network (formerly America SCORES) stands as one of the most successful grassroots programs to emerge from the 1994 World Cup.

Cleveland SCORES has served thousands of young people since 2004, but this summer represented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This year, our Cleveland Poet-Athletes were able to represent their community on the world stage. From walking out with World Cup players, to attending Festival 26 in Boston, to participating in a free World Cup Skills Camp with Black Players for Change, this summer has been one to remember. 

Cleveland SCORES Poet-Athletes join the Brazil and Egypt National Teams on the field before an international friendly at Huntington Bank Field in June2026. Photo: Daniel Lozada

Poet-Athletes Walk Onto the World Cup Pitch

Through a partnership with Quaker and Common Goal, poet-athletes from eight SCORES affiliates participated in the Player Escort Program across more than 30 matches this summer. They were selected for their leadership, commitment, and contributions to their teams and communities. Across the network, poet-athletes counted down to the experience on FOX5 New York imagining what it would be like to walk onto a World Cup pitch.

Across 104 matches in the United States and Canada, Quaker and Common Goal brought 1,738 young people from underserved communities onto FIFA World Cup 2026™ pitches as player escorts — including more than 400 SCORES poet-athletes.

The walkouts began on opening day, when poet-athletes from Toronto SCORES took the pitch as Canada opened their World Cup campaign at home. From there, SCORES poet-athletes appeared across some of the tournament's biggest moments: Vancouver poet-athletes walked out when Canada returned home to face Qatar, New York poet-athletes took to MetLife Stadium for the Round of 16 match between Norway and Brazil, and Seattle poet-athletes each appeared in Round of 32 knockout games. By the tournament's final weeks, three SCORES affiliates — Boston SCORES, LA SCORES, and Miami SCORES— had poet-athletes walking out at Quarter-Final matches, the deepest stage any of them would reach.

Norway striker, Erling Haaland shares a moment with New York Poet-Athletes before the Norway vs Brazil Round of 16 match at MetLife Stadium. 

The eight participating affiliates were:

• United States: New York SCORES, Miami SCORES, Boston SCORES,  LA SCORES, America SCORES Bay Area, Seattle SCORES

• Canada: Canada SCORES Vancouver, Canada SCORES Toronto

  
  

SCORES affiliates in non-host cities — including DC SCORES, Milwaukee SCORES, St. Louis SCORES, Cleveland SCORES, and America SCORES Chicago — marked the tournament through poetry and cheering for the countries their communities call home.

In Cleveland, six Poet-Athletes were able to attend Festival 26, giving them a stage to celebrate new connections and tell their own stories as young people growing up across North America.

Cleveland SCORES alumni at Festival 26 in Boston. From left to right: Tamir Abakar, Kamron Perkins, Saib Meslat, Savannah Davis, Love Johnson, Timothy Hinton, Alondra Padilla, Mariyah Lewis.

Cleveland SCORES Alumni attend Festival 26

Six teens from Cleveland SCORES were chosen to take part in an international youth festival connected to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in one of the tournament’s host cities. The group was one of 40 U.S. and international delegations attending Festival 26 in Boston, bringing together 400 youth from around the world for a cultural exchange, a fair play football tournament, football for good workshops, and a FIFA World Cup quarterfinal watch party.

The festival aimed to empower young people and give them a voice while creating a

sense of belonging.

“My favorite experience was going to the watch party. Seeing everybody get riled up and rooting for a team. It was great talking about something that everybody was interested in, the passion of it, and it was really nice” Davis said.

Perkins said, “It’s been amazing. I’ve loved all the people I’ve met and it’s helped me get out of my comfort zone and be able to go and talk to people. It’s been a great experience.” 

Lewis’ favorite was the cultural performances, “I liked it because everybody got to express their culture through different things like poetry, dancing, and singing. The vibe was just very live. Everybody had fun, everybody was being supported and I just really liked it”.

Students perform at the Opening Ceremonies of Festival 26 in Boston.

The trip and once-in-a-lifetime experience was possible thanks to the support of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew and the Lozick Family Foundation.

In the lead-up to Festival 26, Cleveland SCORES Executive Director Alison Black said, "I am incredibly excited for the young people and my staff to go to Boston — not only to play soccer, but for the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world. Soccer (or football) is a unifying force that breaks down barriers.” 

“They are going to be with young people who may not speak the same language or fully understand each other’s backgrounds, but they are all part of something that invites inclusion and connection. Too often, we forget about the community that makes soccer so special and it’s the grassroots communities. This event is bringing those together. Our kids get to be part of something that creates that kind of camaraderie and will be a memory that lasts a lifetime and leaves a lasting impact.”

Stephanie Cedeño, Columbus Crew Director of Community Relations said, “The Columbus Crew are proud to support Cleveland SCORES and help create opportunities for these teens to experience the power of soccer on a global stage. We’re excited for these students to build lifelong memories, form new friendships and represent Ohio as part of this incredible experience.”

Across the network, poet-athletes recorded their World Cup stories, writing about the matches they attended and what it means to see the world's game played in their cities. Many come from families whose roots trace to nations competing in the tournament and they used poetry to capture this historic moment.

Ahead of World Cup 2026, poet-athlete Jostin and SCORES alumna and coach Melany from America SCORES Chicago joined Telemundo Chicago to share how SCORES poet-athletes are using poetry to celebrate the world's game and tell their stories. View Telemundo Chicago segment.

Telling the World Cup Story Through Poetry

Poet-athletes had already been writing and performing their original poems in the lead up to the World Cup. 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. Poet-athletes wrote and performed original poems in Spanish or bilingual Spanish-English exploring themes of 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.

Santiago from America SCORES Bay Area and Emiley from New York SCORES were named national champions of Atletas Poetas and recognized at the Soccer Legacy Gala in San Jose for their outstanding poetry performances.Photo: America SCORES Bay Area

The Next Chapter of a World Cup Legacy 

The 1994 FIFA World Cup helped expand access to soccer and invest in young people long after the tournament ended. More than 30 years later, that impact continues through the SCORES Network, which serves 15,000 young people at more than 300 Title I schools across the United States and Canada.

As the World Cup returned to North America, poet-athletes experienced the tournament in ways that extended beyond the stands. Some walked onto the field alongside players. Others wrote poems, following matches with their families, and reflecting on what the game means in their lives and communities. Together, they show how a World Cup's impact is carried forward by the young people it inspires.

“For SCORES, the legacy of this World Cup, we want every young person in Cleveland to see themselves as part of the game. This summer gave our poet-athletes a stage, and we plan to keep building that stage long after the tournament ends. We are determined to bring new opportunities to our youth year round and will continue to help them find their voices through the power of poetry and community," said Cleveland SCORES Development Manager Joyce Becerra.

Cleveland SCORES Poet-Athletes at Edgewater Park.