Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games

The German cities of Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Hagen and Berlin hosted the 2025 FISU World University Games Summer.

From 16 to 27 July 2025, around 900 student-athletes and officials from 102 countries competed for medals in 18 sports – making this one of the largest multi-sport events in the world in 2025.

After twelve intense days full of sport, culture and international exchange, the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games came to an end. The event was a complete success for sports, for the region, for Germany and for the people.

What distinguished these games was the extraordinary atmosphere, supported by hundreds of thousands of fans, the warm hospitality throughout the region and sporting excellence at the international top level.

Over 23,000 spectators celebrated the start of the Games together with athletes from all over the world at the Opening Ceremony at Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena in Duisburg.

With around 1.2 million visitors until the end, the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU created an impressive overall response. This number reflects the great appeal of the event across all venues. From the 23 sports venues to the many festival, cultural and hangout spots throughout the region and Berlin. As expected, the event developed continuously: visitor interest increased significantly from day to day. Several sold-out venues, especially in beach volleyball, water polo, basketball and rowing, made the great interest until the last hours of competition clear.

In total, there were 234 medal events. Japan took first place in the medal table with 79 medals, including 34 golds. In the end, the German team was ranked six and celebrated one of the most successful performances in its history with 40 medals, including 11 in gold.

The first gold medal in the women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball competition in the history of the FISU Games went to Germany. In addition, there were 28 new FISU records, which are proof of the outstanding level of competitions.

The swimming competitions in Berlin in particular stood out: 17 records were broken there alone. This was also thanks to the optimal conditions in the venue, the Schwimm- und Sprunghalle im Europasportpark (SSE). The decision to integrate Berlin into the concept as the sixth Host City proved to be the right choice, both from an organisation and sport standpoint.

Festival atmosphere at its best

In addition to 18 sports and numerous medal decisions, the event was complemented by an equally versatile scientific and cultural programme. The participants were excited about conferences, workshops and hands-on activities, such as the Sports Diploma, which was issued to children and young people more than 24,000 times

Concerts with artists such as Deichkind, Ski Aggu, Querbeat, Alle Farben and Michael Schulte attracted thousands of visitors to the festival stages: The completely sold-out Deichkind concert alone for the closing event is a thrilling finale. The festival formats impressively showed how sport and culture can grow together in the heart of the region in a way that is accessible for everyone.

Another fantastic addition was the FISU World Conference. The three-day conference dealt with the topics of (mental) health in sport and sustainability. 429 abstracts from 29 nations had been submitted on these topics in advance. On average, 150 participants attended the conference over the three days.

In addition to the sport, it was the community spirit that shaped these games. The region of North Rhine-Westphalia made an impression as a host with a strong community spirit and an open-minded, sports-loving population. The cities and municipalities of the region made the event an experience that went far beyond sporting competition and raised university sport to a new, international stage. From volunteers to the people in the cities who helped, cheered and celebrated.

Watch the aftermovie