| Sport | Scrabble |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1991 |
| Most recent champion | Adam Logan(2nd title) (2025) |
| Sponsors | Mattel, MSA |
TheWorld Scrabble Championship (WSC) is played to determine the world champion in competitiveEnglish-language Scrabble. It was held in every odd year from 1991 to 2013; from 2013 onwards, it became an annual event.
The most successful player in world championship history isNigel Richards from New Zealand, who won a record five titles between 2007 and 2019.
Sponsorship of the World Scrabble Championship (WSC) formerly alternated betweenHasbro andMattel, the North American and global owners of the Scrabble trademark, respectively. However, after Hasbro declined to sponsorWSC 2005, Mattel has organized and sponsored all championships. Mind Sports International (MSI) began sponsoring the event in 2013 after successfully organizing their own major Scrabble tournament inPrague in 2012. As of 2018, it has been sponsored by Mindsports Academy.
On 17 May 2013, Mattel announced[1] that the event would be renamed the Scrabble Champions Tournament, and the tournament would be held annually as part of Mind Sports International's Prague Mind Sports Festival. MSI introduced a 'Last Chance Qualifier' tournament, giving players a last opportunity to qualify for 5 places in the main event if they failed to achieve a place on their national team. A four-way knockout stage was introduced for the top four finishers, which consisted of a best-of-3 semi-final followed by a best-of-5 final.Nigel Richards became World Champion here, making him the first player to defend his world title.
In 2014 the Scrabble Champions Tournament continued in London, but it became an open event, with all players invited to compete. A quarter-final stage was added, meaning that the top 8 progressed to the knockout stages.Craig Beevers won the event, making him the first British World Scrabble Champion sinceMark Nyman in 1993.
In 2015, following cancellation of the SCT, Mattel and MSI agreed to allow WESPA to organize the2015 WESPA Championship (WESPAC). It was held inPerth, Australia and followed the invitational format of pre-MSI WSC events. 130 players qualified to play.Wellington Jighere of Nigeria emerged as WESPA Champion after beating Lewis Mackay 4–0 in the final.
In 2016, the tournament was split into two divisions based on players' rankings. MSI also hosted world championships in other languages, including French, German, Spanish and Catalan, alongside the French Duplicate Championship.
The 2017 MSI World Championships followed the same format as the 2016 event. This was won by AustralianDavid Eldar.
The 2018 World Scrabble Championship was organised by Mindsports Academy. The main event was held inTorquay, Devon, but the best-of-5 final was held in London to celebrate the game's 70th anniversary. The event was won by Nigel Richards.
In 2019 Nigel Richards went on to defend his title (and win his fifth championship) againstDavid Eldar at the Riviera International Centre inTorquay.
After 2019, unofficial world championships are held atWESPAC because WESPA has been denied permission from Mattel and/or Hasbro to be called an official world championship.
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up | Location | Entrants | Winner's prize | Total prize pool | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 |  Peter Morris | 2–1 | Brian Cappelletto |  London, United Kingdom | 48 | US$10,000[2] | US$19,000[2] | Spears |
| 1993 | Mark Nyman | 3–2 |  Joel Wapnick | Plaza Hotel, New York City, United States | 64 | US$10,000[3] | US$24,950[3] | Hasbro |
| 1995 | David Boys | 3–2 | Joel Sherman | Park Lane Hotel,Piccadilly, London, United Kingdom | 64 | US$11,000[4] | US$29,550[4] | Mattel |
| 1997 | Joel Sherman | 3–1 | Matt Graham | Mayflower Hotel, Washington, D.C., United States | 80 | US$25,000[5] | US$50,100[5] | Hasbro |
| 1999 | Joel Wapnick | 3–1 | Mark Nyman |  Carlton Crest Hotel,Melbourne, Australia | 98 | US$15,000[6] | US$34,200[6] | Mattel |
| 2001 | Brian Cappelletto | 3–1 | Joel Wapnick | Venetian Hotel,Las Vegas, United States | 88 | US$25,000[7] | US$50,100[7] | Hasbro |
| 2003 |  Panupol Sujjayakorn | 3–2 | Pakorn Nemitrmansuk |  Corus Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 90 | US$17,500[8] | US$40,000[8] | Mattel |
| 2005 | Adam Logan (1) | 3–0 | Pakorn Nemitrmansuk | Marriott Regent's Park Hotel, London, United Kingdom | 102 | US$15,000[9] | US$30,500[9] | Mattel |
| 2007 |  Nigel Richards (1) | 3–2 | Ganesh Asirvatham |  Taj President Hotel,Mumbai, India | 104 | US$15,000[10] | US$30,500[10] | Mattel |
| 2009 | Pakorn Nemitrmansuk[11] | 3–1 | Nigel Richards[12] | Zon Regency Hotel,Johor Bahru,Malaysia[13] | 108 | US$15,000[14] | US$30,500[14] | Mattel |
| 2011 | Nigel Richards (2) | 3–2 | Andrew Fisher |  Hilton Hotel,Warsaw,Poland[15] | 106 | US$20,000[16] | US$50,000[16] | Mattel |
| 2013 | Nigel Richards (3) | 3–2 | Komol Panyasophonlert |  Andel's Hotel,Prague, Czech Republic | 110 | US$10,000[17] | US$25,000[1] | Mattel, MSI |
| 2014 | Craig Beevers | 3–1 | Chris Lipe | ExCeL Arena, London, United Kingdom | 108 | £3,000 | £7,000[18] | Mattel, MSI |
| 2015 |  Wellington Jighere[19] | 4–0 | Lewis Mackay | Gloucester Park, Perth, Australia | 130 | A$10,000 | A$28,400 | WESPA (1) |
| 2016 | Brett Smitheram | 3–0 | Mark Nyman |  Grand Palais,Lille, France | 72 | €7,000 | €40,000 | Mattel, MSI |
| 2017 | David Eldar | 3–0 | Harshan Lamabadusuriya | Nottingham, United Kingdom | 77 | £7,000[20] | Mattel,MSI | |
| 2018 | Nigel Richards (4) | 3–1 | Jesse Day | Torquay (final inWestfield London), United Kingdom | 75 | £6,200 | £15,500[21] | Mattel,MSA |
| 2019 | Nigel Richards (5) | 3–1 | David Eldar | Riviera International Centre,Torquay, United Kingdom | 46 | $8,000 | Mattel,MSA | |
| 2023 | David Eldar (2) | 4–3 | Harshan Lamabadusuriya | Las Vegas, United States | 134 | $10,000 | WESPA | |
| 2025 | Adam Logan (2) | 4–2 | Nigel Richards |  The Palms by Eagles, Airport City,Accra,Ghana | 129 | $10,000 | $34,000 | WESPA |
From 1993 to 2023, New Zealand, represented by Nigel Richards with his 5 victories, is the most successful country participating in the World Scrabble Championship. This accounts for 27.8% of the total wins. Canada has 4 victories. The United States of America and England each secured 3 victories, placing them in third place.[22]
| Country | Titles[1] |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | 5 |
| Canada | 4 |
| USA | 3 |
| England | 3 |
| Thailand | 2 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Nigeria | 1 |
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