For the first time in history, the best male and female futsal players, who combine futsal with their studies, will come to Warsaw to compete for medals at the FISU World University Championship. The competition will take place from 1 to 7 July 2026. The event is organised by University Sport Association of Warsaw (AZS Warszawa).
Futsal is one of the most popular academic sports, thanks to its simple rules and the imagination that comes from playing in backyards and school playgrounds. The first FISU World University Championship medals in this variant of football were contested in 1984 in the homeland of futsal, Brazil. Eight academic teams took part in the tournament, with Canarinhos winning the gold. Nowadays, interest in the competition is greater, but the fact remains that students from the country of coffee will be among the favourites to win. Teams from Africa, Asia and Europe can also be expected to participate. A maximum of 16 teams can take part in both the women’s and men’s tournaments. The draw will be held at the headquarters of FISU, one month before the championships.
Following the success of last year’s European Universities Combat Championship, this will be another international event coming to Warsaw. However, the prestige of this event is even greater, because this time it will be academic teams representing countries, rather than universities, competing for the title. – “I think this is another step towards organising international events and gaining experience in this area. Organising the European Academic Championships has given us a lot, and I think it will be easier to coordinate 32 teams than almost 400 universities. Of course, the event is very prestigious and we are motivated to do well. We know that the level of competition will be high and the fans will certainly have something to watch. We also want these championships to be noticed not only by the academic community, but also by the residents of Warsaw and sports enthusiasts,” says Rafał Jachimiak, vice president of University Sport Association of Warsaw.
FISU World University Championship matches will be held in three main halls: OSIR Bemowo, CAiLS Grodzisk Mazowiecki and Znicz Pruszków. Four training halls will also be prepared for the competitors: OSiR Włochy, CSR WUM, CSiR Banacha and OSiR Ochota. -“We have three halls in Warsaw that meet FISU requirements for hosting the championships. One of them is Arena Ursynów, which is currently undergoing modernisation. There is also Torwar, where concerts will be held, and OSIR Bemowo, where the participants will play. However, Warsaw should be viewed as an agglomeration, because the surrounding towns have excellent facilities. Overall, we are able to host these competitions at a very high level. Of course, this also shows how much work needs to be done in Warsaw itself if we are thinking about organising large events in the future”- says Rafał Jachimiak.
The halls have already been booked, team registrations and partner searches are underway, and volunteers are being recruited, but this is only the beginning of the preparations. Logistics and team transport will certainly be a challenge. “We hope to find partners and reach a wide group of fans. We want to popularise futsal and hope to be able to show the final matches on television. We can see that thanks to the successes of the Polish national team, indoor football is becoming increasingly popular, and here will be an opportunity to see live players who combine education with world-class football. Certainly, no one will complain about a lack of goals,” adds the Rafał Jachimiak.
The greatest successes in the history of the Polish University Futsal Team’s performances at the World University Games are the bronze medal won by the women’s team in 2022 and the fourth place achieved by the men’s team in 2006. We will see how the ‘White and Reds’ fare this time at the turn of June and July.