#PPP96 We now have a COLLABORATIVE YOUTUBE PLAYLIST for you to throw in suggestions for tracks for the WORLD CUP OF 1996! Tremble at the one I've started it off with... also let me know if it doesn't work www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

attn @peoples-pop-polls.bsky.social

It's the #PWC26 GOLDEN BEAT Announcement for the best discovery of the tournament. We have a joint 3rd, a 2nd and a 1st place to award, none of which reached Pollhalla. (The top Pollhalla entrant was runner-up Eftalya Yagci's "DARBUKA" with 6 noms) 86 out of 144 tracks got a pick!

HELLO POP POLLSTERS! #PWC26 GOLDEN BEATS have been done - there is a clear winner, I'll announce those later with the guidelines for #PPP96 - THE WORLD CUP OF 1996 What I can tell you is that NOMINATIONS DAY for said World Cup Of 1996 is SATURDAY 27th JUNE at 4pm

In @peoples-pop-polls.bsky.social #PWC26 news, "USA" (or "Take Me To America") by Dubioza Kolektiv has become a viral hit apparently!

HELLO POP POLLSTERS! #PWC26 GOLDEN BEATS have been done - there is a clear winner, I'll announce those later with the guidelines for #PPP96 - THE WORLD CUP OF 1996 What I can tell you is that NOMINATIONS DAY for said World Cup Of 1996 is SATURDAY 27th JUNE at 4pm

OK maybe 1996 will work out OK after all Obviously woefully short of anything outside UK, US, France, Sweden and Japan. But hopefully the poll will rectify that a bit open.spotify.com/playlist/5DA...

Peoples Pop Polls' July poll is 1996, a year I barely know for country. Recommendations would be appreciated. #CountryRockSunday [Tom goes by year of first release whether it's album cut or single.] Be as obscure as you want. bsky.app/profile/peop...

1996 Poll research already begun! youtu.be/iEuCXM2yeiI?...

my playlist of african/latin/caribbean possibilities is already over 30, but i need more

Also, in 1996 this lot were Still On The Case (this is a key Britpop text) #HoldTightCrew www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu5K...

Shocked to find there's a big '96 icon we've not polled yet

right now the way to go seems to be one of the incredible r&b (just looked up that year’s US r&b number ones and oh my god) or hip-hop bangers, but IACBTMN would be an awesome main as well

It's the July People's Pop Poll!

Pick it anyway! The index is now back in the right order (by artist) and! has the 144 Pop World Cup tracks added docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Bunch of strong contenders here: www.discogs.com/master/98660...

So, yes, this summer we'll be going back to 1996, celebrating the bangers and trying to find out what was going on that Chris Evans didn't know about. It's been a while since we did a 90s poll, the last one was colossal, this one won't be so big though

The strength to take the difficult decisions, when I pledged no more 90s polls I was of course speaking of a long term goal, circumstances have changed, etc etc

It's the July People's Pop Poll!

The year poll die is cast

Either everyone was being a bit more polite than usual in the @peoples-pop-polls.bsky.social #PWC26, possibly because of the songs being lesser known, or I've just blocked all of the main offenders. It was a pleasure to engage with though, unlike the 2025 one where I just gave it up as a bad job.

OK, I've been practicing for my post-game press conference: We expected an intense finale. Sadly we didn’t have the energy needed for a Pop World Cup victory when up against a player like Zohra. We have to accept it, thank fans for their support throughout this tournament, and keep on shaking it.

AAAAAHHHH! Amazing! Huge respect to my Turkish opponents, who have played a blinder all through, and of course to @rayburnmaarup.bsky.social who nominated Zohra in the first place.

We only bloody gone and done it! Hooray for the excellent music scene of Algeria, both past and present, and particularly to the disco genius that can make you truly believe that a tortoise can rollerblade.

ALGERIA HAVE WON THE POP WORLD CUP! Check out the winning banger, if you didn't already: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3SI...

#PWC26 THE RESULTS Some of the voters are on the pitch, they think it's all over... it isn't yet cos we've got the Golden Beat tomorrow! HOWEVER the actual voting is finished and we'll now learn whether the biggest prize in World Pop goes to ALGERIA or TURKEY

Both the top sextile by streams and the bottom had fewer match-winners than the middle tiers, though. The two eventual finalists were the 42nd and 53rd most streamed songs out of 144

#PWC26 the GOLDEN BEAT nominations are still open and will be until tomorrow - go here to vote in them (the semi finalists' fate is sealed tho) docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... And specially for @lokpolokpo1.bsky.social and any others who need it, the full noms list: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

LAST CALL For votes in the #PWC26 final - I'll be closing this at 9PM UK time (so in about 2 hours)

I have STILL not decided which year poll to do so we can't end the final until I do

#PWC26 THE FINAL It's the FINAL of the POP WORLD CUP between ALGERIA with ZOHRA - "Badala Zamana" TURKEY with EFTALYA YAGCI - "DARBUKA" All you need is in the Google Form (and there's a Third-Place Playoff and a B-Side Final too) docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Results Sunday evening!

PWC26 RESULTS! Our final is between... ZOHRA (ALG) and EFTALYA YAGCI (TUR)! Old v new, Africa v Europe, what a final! ALG beat AUT 57%-43% TUR beat DOC 56%-44% Two close matches and we'll be seeing Dani Lia and Theodora again in the third place play-off of course

Seems like much higher engagement for managers and poll diehards but a harder one to follow for anyone at a more casual level. Good for building the PPP golden beat shadowcanon though

The final of the Pop World Cup 2026 (Algeria v Turkey) ends in a few hours. Listen and vote👇below. 100% Infantino-free!

I think I voted for Eftalya at every stage, but I just can't get enough of Badala Zamana, and I'm so pleased it has got this far. Zohra all the way.

I agree this structure worked really well though I don’t think it would necessarily transfer to a year poll where we inevitably already know a lot of the tracks

Also re the admin comment - I *loved* this poll structure! Many head to heads forcing me to give every track a decent crack of the whip, rather than picking 1 in 4... the chance to absorb 144 tracks rather than skim 320... *and* proper face-off finals which I def prefer to the big countdown ☺️

between having "Badala Zamana" stuck in my head grocery shopping today and liking the idea of going out to the champ, think I'm voting Zohra (though would be thrilled if "Darbuka" wins). think i'm going Dani Lia but it's narrow... not the b-sides, nipplepeople PLEASE

Badala Zamana is the one I've found myself humming while doing some random task, so it gets my vote,

hardest final vote I can remember in a while though and the first time I don't have a clear preference for a winner

Not that I’ve participated in a ton of music polls here on Bluesky dot com, but I have certainly never come close to having a nominee in the finals. Even if you have not followed #PWC26, it’s not too late to give these six international bangers a listen. Eftalya and I will gladly accept your votes.

The death of earworm melody comes for davecore -- I can easily get this stuck in my head but (1) I've been listening to it on a weekly basis for 3 years and (2) it usually starts from the synth bass line, not the vocals. Though she at least has the decency to go Phrygian

I nearly went for this one instead www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ulpa...

I never would have guessed we'd get this far, and against one of my favourite sides of the whole tournament. I would once again love for you to vote Algeria, but most of all I'd love for you to listen to all the top tunes and vote with your ears. It's bangers all the way down.

I’ve favoured the new over the old throughout but a) “Badala Zamana” is a banger and deserves a spot carved on the PPP Winners monument and b) I like it lots while it’s playing but “DARBUKA” just won’t stick in my head.

The thing about this excellent match is that I think the best is yet to come from both young sides - I’ve heard other tracks from both this year which would light up a 2026 poll. This one’s a coin flip for me

I would ask everyone to compare the voices on offer here and then decide who the real heroine is. not a contest, really. (🇭🇷nips all the way out, in case I wasn’t clear enough)

what a great final, and a great cup it's been. I love the Algeria side but they _did_ eliminate Canada... which could be a reason to vote either, really