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20 April 2023 – Düsseldorf

Rhine-Ruhr 2025

From 16 to 27 July 2025, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia will make history. When the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place, this will be the first time ever that an entire region will host the world’s largest multi-sport event for student elite athletes.

A summer with distinction for the entire region 

The Games will be held in Germany for the second time after Duisburg in 1989. The five host cities – Bochum, Duisburg, Düsseldorf, Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr – will join together for twelve days to welcome the best university athletes in the world. 

The State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community have not only contributed to making the Games a reality in Germany with their considerable financial support - based on the commitment of the German University Sports Federation (adh). In doing so, they are also expressing their political confidence that the Games will enable unique top performances and meetings that will inspire many people beyond NRW and have a lasting impact on society - entirely in line with the National Strategy for Large Sporting Events. 

Over 10,000 student athletes and officials from more than 150 countries will be visiting the Rhine and Ruhr region in summer 2025 for the 32nd FISU World University Games Summer. The twelve-day programme combines exceptional sporting competitions, unforgettable cultural experiences, scientific exchange and international networking. 

© Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games

Thanks to the remarkable density of existing sporting venues belonging to the region’s many competitive sports centres and clubs, Rhine-Ruhr 2025 offers ideal conditions for the competitions that will take place in 18 sports across the five host cities. Some of these facilities will be upgraded in advance, so that the FISU World University Games will contribute to a long-term improvement in sports infrastructure in the region. 

The international student athletes participating in Rhine-Ruhr 2025 can expect to find ideal conditions awaiting them in a region that is both hugely passionate about sport, and also capable of continuous transformation. It has the most sports clubs in Germany and the highest density of universities in Europe. The people who live there are proud of the industrial history of their home region. Likewise, they are proud of their achievements in transforming it into a region with a promising future. Together with the athletes, the region celebrates its accomplishments as it presents itself to the world with a positive and innovative outlook. 

Unforgettable weeks of festivities filled with passion for sport, science and culture 

The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games will provide over a week of unforgettable festivities for the entire population – full of passion for sport, science and culture. With sporting events for fans at their favourite venues; with exciting cultural highlights at locations that symbolise the region’s transformation from an industrial region to a region of science; and with scientific events that will bring together top academic experts and the wider public.  

The historic format of the FISU World University Games is in transition, reflecting this entire era the event is being held in. Designed throughout to focus on the visitors, and in the spirit of social sustainability, Rhine-Ruhr 2025 also aims to create a new, positive understanding of major sporting events in society as a whole.