The International University Sports Federation (FISU) has confirmed dates for the next set of FISU University World Cup events, to be held through 2021 and 2022. A Rugby Sevens Cup is all set to make its debut in 2022. 

The sixth edition of the FISU University World Cup 3x3 Basketball will take place from 14-17 October 2021 in Xiamen, People’s Republic of China – the host city since the inaugural edition in 2015.

“After five years of development, the FISU University World Cup 3x3 Basketball has become a very influential event, not only in China but also around the world,” says Xing Zunming, Dean of the Physical Education College at Huaqiao University which hosts the event every year.

“We hope that in next year's event, with the support from FISU and the Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC), Huaqiao University can push the brand of this event to an even higher level; to promote development of the event, to attract more young people and share the passion for 3x3 basketball.”

After resounding success in its inaugural edition in 2019, the University World Cup Football is all set for a bigger, better version 2.0 in 2022. Slated to be held every two years, the 2021 edition was postponed to 2022, as the continental qualifiers could not be staged in 2020.

The qualifying tournaments will now be held between May and October 2021, with the best university football teams from around the world battling it out in the world finals in Jinjiang, People's Republic of China, from 18-29 May 2022.

“We are already at 85% preparedness for next October’s continental qualifying tournament,” says Marisol Pedraza, Director of national and international events of the Consejo Nacional del Deporte de la Educación (CONDDE) Mexico – FISU’s national member federation.

“The venues for the tournament will be the Carlos Iturralde, Marista University and Rogers Sport Unit. We really look forward to having as many teams and countries participating as possible. In fact, we would like all the FISU America countries to take part!”

The newest addition to the FISU University World Cup portfolio – the UWC Rugby Sevens – will take place from 12-14 August 2022 in Kazan, Russia. The city of Kazan has proved itself as a successful organizer of sports events and had hosted the 2013 FISU World University Games.

Rugby Sevens has been a perennially popular sport on the FISU sports programme, with World University Championship events in Namibia, Great Britain and Brazil in recent years.

It was also on the programme at the summer edition of the World University Games in Kazan and in Naples, Italy, in 2019. FISU has enjoyed a strong collaboration with World Rugby in developing these events. The UWC Rugby Sevens will be a tournament with eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams.

The University World Cups 3x3 Basketball and Football will retain the same competition format as the previous editions, with sixteen men’s teams and eight women’s teams in the Football finals, and sixteen each in the 3x3.

While the timelines for the continental qualifying tournaments have been planned, the exact dates for some will be confirmed in consultation with the Continental University Sports Federations (CUSFs) in the weeks to come.

The University World Cups are FISU's newest sport properties, created to complement the World University Games and the World University Championships. The World Cups are played out in a university-versus-university format and thus, are game changers. Putting on university colours and competing amongst classmates at an international level, is an experience that cannot be found anywhere else in sports. The University World Cups have caught the imagination of students and universities alike.