World Cup Challenge 2026

The challenge is broken down into six weeks. Each week has seven prompts: six words and one dialogue prompt. The challenge is to use the prompt in your work. You can create a work per day (each word/phrase corresponding with each day of the tournament) or you can create a work per week (using one or more of that week's prompts).

After you create your work, post onto Tumblr,/Ao3, and tag @worldcupchallenge or #WorldCupChallenge2026, and we will reblog/share your work here!

If you have any questions, check our FAQs. Our askbox is open for further questions about how the challenge works or what the prompts mean.

Prompts:

Week One: Qualifying (June 15th - June 20th): Call up, Transfer window, Host Nation, Qualify, Home/Home base, Fan signing, “I’ve never seen/heard/tasted/felt that before.”

Week Two: Group Stage (June 21st - June 27th): Points, Yellow card, Hat trick, Striker, Handball, Kit/Uniform/Jersey, “Please don’t put that on social media.”

Week Three: Round of 16 (June 28th - July 4th): Park the Bus, Top bins, Clean sheet, Defender, Pitch invasion, The beautiful game, “[Player name] has just broken [record].”

Week Four: Quarter Finals (July 5th - July 11th): Red card, Corners, Offside, Midfielder, Nutmeg, The last dance, “The medical team says I can/can’t play.”

Week Five: Semi-Finals (July 12th - July 18th): Winger, Club vs. Country, VAR/Virtual Assistant Referee, Score, Tradition, Rivalry as old as time, “Today isn’t just about winning.”

Week Six: Final (July 19th - July 25th): Golden boot/glove, Winner/Loser, Penalty shootout, Panenka, Trophy, Champions of the World, “Win, lose, draw: it’s you and me.”

Optional/Bonus Prompts: (Can be swapped with any prompt)!

[Player does a special/meaningful celebration]

Goalkeeper

“Now what?”

Locker room/dressing room

“Don’t let them see you cry. Because today, we didn’t lose.”

Quick Guidelines:

Some prompts are vague to give creative freedom. Others are specific to help guide creatives. You do not have to take them literally, and you can interpret the prompts however you like!

There is no word minimum or maximum.

There is no submission limit.

There are no content restrictions. SFW/NSFW works, reader inserts, are allowed.

You can write about a previous world cup!