Rhine Ruhr 2025

From July 16 to 27, 2025, the FISU World University Games will turn our two university cities of Duisburg and Essen into a hotspot of international university sports.

Around 8,500 athletes and officials from over 170 countries will compete against each other in 18 sports at the highest level. As the biggest multi-sport event of 2025, the games combine top-class student sport with scientific exchange and culture.

In Duisburg, the opening and closing ceremonies will feature top acts such as Ayliva, Montez, Querbeat and Deichkind. Half of the sporting competitions will take place in Essen. There will be fan zones and festival areas in the host cities and at the competition venues, bringing together sport, culture and science – so the atmosphere will be unique. Our two university cities, Duisburg and Essen, are right in the middle of it all and form a cultural and sporting center for these games. Additionally, the FISU World Conference, in which the UA Ruhr is an academic partner, will take place in Bochum.

Duisburg is once again hosting this international multi-sport event, which was formerly known as the Universiade and has been held as the World University Games since 2020. What's more, this is only the second time it has been held in Germany – a rare and special event.

With the motto “Everybody is all-in”, the entire region will be the setting for top athletic performances, scientific dialog, and intercultural encounters.

The University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) has a long history of success in university sports and actively supports the dual career of student top athletes as a “Partner University for Top-Level Sports”. Numerous former participants and medalists of the UDE are proof of how studies and excellence in sports can be successfully combined.