If you ever spent your youth perfecting diagonal shots, quick one-twos, and outrageous long-range screamers in Sensible World of Soccer, this is the kind of news that still feels slightly unreal.
The Official World Cup of SWOS is coming to the UK in 2026 (last year it was in the Netherlands), bringing competitive Sensible Soccer back to its spiritual home.
The basics
Here’s what you need to know:
- Event: The Official World Cup of SWOS
- Location: Burwell House, Cambridge, UK
- Dates: July 18–19, 2026
Full pricing details haven’t been published yet, but organisers say information will appear on sensiblesoccer.de and on the official Facebook event page. The best way to stay updated for now is to subscribe to the Facebook event.
Incredibly, players can typically expect to play around 20–30 matches, including group stages followed by winner and loser brackets, making this a full-on weekend of SWOS action.
Superb!
Played the proper way
This isn’t emulation or modern re-releases. The tournament will be played on original hardware, covering:
- Commodore Amiga
- PC running DOS / Windows 95/98
That means classic controls, original timing, and all the quirks that made SWOS such a competitive obsession in the first place.
A dream tournament for a generation
For many of us who grew up in the late 80s and 90s, games like Kick Off 2 and Sensible World of Soccer weren’t just football games – they were social events. School lunch breaks, home tournaments, and endless arguments about whether diagonal shots were overpowered all led to one shared fantasy: what if there was a real World Cup for this?
Now there is. And the fact that it even exists still feels slightly magical.
Personally, as a teenager, I dreamed about exactly this kind of event. First with Kick Off 2, then with SWOS, the idea of playing other people in a proper world cup felt like pure fantasy. Seeing it actually happen, decades later, is amazing.
Bittersweet timing
There’s just one problem: while the tournament is in the UK this year – which should make it perfect – I’ll be in Ireland that weekend, supporting my kids in a very different kind of competition. So it’s one of those moments that’s both thrilling and frustrating in equal measure.
Still, whether you’re a hardcore SWOS veteran, a former lunchtime league champion, or someone who just loves seeing classic games kept alive properly, the 2026 SWOS World Cup in should be something pretty special.
It might have taken a few decades, but for SWOS fans, it really is coming home.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
