After a nail-biting second quarterfinal, the first semifinal of the University World Cup Football Team Challenge is set!

The flair and flamboyance of the Italians from the International University of Language and Media (IULM) will go up against German precision and perfection in the last four.

FISU’s ‘virtual’ tournament is capturing imaginations with around 4,000 people voting to decide the quarterfinal between IULM and the University of Málaga.

The Spaniards displayed no less skill than the Italians and the contest was close, very close – with IULM edging a last-hour 51% to 49% win.

The FISU UWC Football Team Challenge was launched on 14 May, with eight participating teams.

The invited teams were among those that had competed in FISU’s inaugural University World Cup Football tournament that was held in November last year, in the People’s Republic of China.

Replaying the fun in a different, digital format, this virtual challenge required the participating teams to submit a football juggling compilation that gives the impression of a seamless sequence, but is in fact shot separately in individual homes, during this time of isolation and quarantine.

Check out both the Quarterfinal 2 videos here.

Here is entry number 3 of our UWC Football Team Challenge – @uniiulm!

Quarterfinal voting goes live tomorrow on FISU Instagram: https://t.co/43szW8veZA pic.twitter.com/JRS3slEx5S

— #UniFootball (@FISU) May 17, 2020

Here comes entry number 4 of our UWC Football Team Challenge – @InfoUMA/@deportesUMA!

Quarterfinal voting goes live later today on FISU Instagram: https://t.co/IWlLFbmqNQ pic.twitter.com/cHuS2cCvcv

— #UniFootball (@FISU) May 18, 2020

The first quarterfinal was contested between Germany’s Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg and Bangkok Thonburi University of Thailand. The Germans won that one convincingly, 88% to 12%. Both those videos can be viewed here:

Here is entry number 1 of our UWC Football Team Challenge – @Uni_WUE (@adhGER)!

Quarterfinal voting goes live tomorrow on FISU Instagram: https://t.co/IWlLFbmqNQ pic.twitter.com/VD5zKNxWTu

— #UniFootball (@FISU) May 14, 2020

And here comes entry number 2 of our UWC Football Team Challenge – Bangkok Thonburi University!

Quarterfinal voting goes live tomorrow on FISU Instagram: https://t.co/QIwYkK4gXX pic.twitter.com/HMf4tlBqk3

— #UniFootball (@FISU) May 14, 2020

With the top half of the draw set, attention will turn to the bottom half where both of last year’s champion teams are. University of the Republic from Uruguay and University of Ottawa from Canada had won the men’s and women’s titles respectively in China and will be looking to repeat that form in this digital edition. Video reveals for the bottom half of the draw begin on 20 May, with voting every third day.

Watch this space!