2026 River Cup
Welcome to the 2026 River Cup! Vote for your favorites here to help us determine Earth's most remarkable river system!
Round 2: Water Quality Threats
Matchup 7: Niger River vs Rio Tinto
Niger River
Pollution and inadequate sanitation affect riverside communities in Mali. Oil contamination has also damaged parts of Nigeria’s downstream Niger Delta.
Rio Tinto
Thousands of years of metal mining have added acid drainage and metal contamination, although the river’s extreme acidity is not caused solely by mining.
Cast your vote!
Matchup 8: Susquehanna River vs Fly River
Susquehanna River
Fly River
One of the world's first identified "dead zones" of oxygen depletion due to nutrient runoff was found in the outlet of this river (Chesapeake Bay), threatening the estuary's famous blue crab.
The collapse of the Ok Tedi Copper Mine tailings dam in 1984, which resulted in 80-90 million tons of mine waste discharge annually, is one of the worst anthropogenic environmental disasters to ever occur.
Cast your vote!
RIVER CUP 2026 CURRENT BRACKET
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YOUR CATCHMENT CUP 2025 WINNER: ONCA CATCHMENT!
YOUR CATCHMENT CUP 2025 WINNER: ONCA CATCHMENT!
Congratulations to our 2024 Earth's Most Remarkable River:
the Gila!
Congratulations to our 2023 World's Most Remarkable River:
