Two ways to win.
One great cause.
Zero soccer knowledge required.
A World Cup pool benefitting Soccer Without Borders. $50 gets you a new, random favorite country to root for and a March Madness–style bracket. Two winners take home $750 each. Runners-up get their money back. The rest goes to charity, x2 thanks to Disney.
All 48 spots claimed.
Thank you to everyone who jumped in — you made this happen fast. The draw goes live as scheduled and the group chat is about to get loud.
To anyone who missed out: I'm genuinely sorry. I'd run a bigger pool if I could, but 48 is 48 (one per nation). Hold tight and watch the group stage with us — there's always next cycle.
Either way: enjoy the World Cup. Allez allez allez.
…until the greatest sporting — nay, human — event on the planet kicks off, mostly in the U.S. (what?!), when for five weeks you'll get to use words like "VAR" and "Tite" at work, watch a man named Cristiano weep on television (he always does), find yourself suddenly loving a country that (if you're honest with yourself) you'd probably have had trouble finding on a map last week, and watch some idiot get famous for being on TV a few seconds while passionately wearing a very dumb costume. Heavy breathing. Nbd.
"Soccer? Really? I NEED MORE CONVINCING, MIKE!"
Ok, fine. Maybe it's not enough that this World Cup is happening in the U.S. (and Canada and Mexico, I guess). Maybe it's not enough that you get to bust your Fourth of July gear for a couple extra days. Maybe it's not enough to have an excuse to crack open a couple pops on a workday. Fine. How about this: this will be a month-long global party and rollercoaster reality show the likes of which only the World Cup can deliver. It's March Madness meets the Kardashians meets Comic-Con. IT'S FUN. Even Jess likes it.
And, if you join our extremely popular 32 48 Teams, One World Cup pool, for the low-low price of a $50 entry fee, you even get two extra reasons to watch. Check it out:
How it works
The schedule
Why Soccer Without Borders
It's no secret that I had a pretty cool time in Brazil. Meme status. Free tickets. Will Ferrell. But what I probably haven't talked to most of you about is the stuff that happened when I wasn't dressed up like an idiot. When I was just Mike from Chicago, going to matches and fan fests, being embraced by people I couldn't communicate with in any way other than high-fives or trading beers or, sometimes, consolations. The short of it is, the World Cup and soccer are awesome and have the potential to bring out the best in people. So I wanted to pick a charity that embodies both. Thanks for being the kind of people who get and are into that sorta thing!
Soccer Without Borders uses the sport to give refugee and immigrant kids a team, a community, and a place to belong. 4-star Charity Navigator rating. The whole pot, doubled by employer match, goes to them.
All are welcome. Got a friend, sibling, coworker, or in-law who'd be into this? Forward the email. Send 'em the link. The more, the merrier — and the bigger the donation.