Football: Würzburg student teams win two medals
09/01/2026Silver for the men, bronze for the women: the Würzburg joint team, made up of players from the University of Würzburg and the Technical University, has won two medals in football at the European University Games in Italy.
An impressive result: at this year’s European University Games in Salerno, Italy, the men’s and women’s football teams from the Würzburg joint team (Wettkampfgemeinschaft, WG) won silver and bronze respectively. The Games took place from 18 July to 1 August 2026 across 13 disciplines. 16 men’s teams and twelve women’s teams from European universities took part in the football competition.
Although the WG – comprising students from the University of Würzburg and the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt – did not manage to clinch the title this time round, However, the results of recent years show that both teams are consistently among the frontrunners: since 2023, they have jointly secured three European Championship titles, two silver medals and one bronze – no mean feat given the annual changes to the squads.
A nail-biter in Salerno
The men could hardly have made the final any more thrilling: the Würzburg team went into half-time trailing 0–2 against the University of Rzeszów from Poland. Thanks to two late goals, one from Felix Deißenberger (Würzburger Kickers II) in stoppage time, the match ended 3–3 after normal time. In the penalty shoot-out, the WG narrowly lost to the students from Poland – the final score was 8–9.
“When we set off for the tournament, we didn’t know exactly where we stood. We told ourselves that we wanted to improve on last year’s performance,” said Simon Schäffer, who has been part of the squad since the men’s team won the title in 2023. They achieved the improvement they’d set out to make: whilst the Men’s WG 2025 finished fifth last year, this year they’re on the podium. When asked whether the narrow defeat in the final still stings, Schäffer replies: “These days, pride outweighs the disappointment.”
Strong tournament for the women – title defence narrowly missed
The Würzburg female students went into the tournament with high expectations; after all, they were aiming to defend their title for a second time following their championship victories in 2024 and 2025. The matches got off to a promising start: the women’s team came through the group stage with two wins (4–1, 2–1). The quarter-final against the home side, the University of Salerno, continued this run with a convincing 5–0 victory.
The semi-final against the University of Zagreb marked the end of their winning streak: following a penalty shoot-out, the match ended 4–3 in favour of the Croatians. “Basically, our main goal was to defend our title,” says Celia Kirbach, captain of the WG. She was part of the team that won the European Championship in 2025. “It’s a shame it didn’t work out, and to be honest, it still stings quite a lot.”
However, the Würzburg women had to shake off the disappointment of missing out on the final quickly: “We still had the chance to finish third, which we were determined to achieve.” With a 3–1 victory over the University of Bordeaux, coach Lena Jakob’s team finally secured their well-deserved medal. All three goals against the French side were scored by Julia Asam, who was crowned the tournament’s top scorer.
About the European University Games
The European University Games are comparable to the Olympic Games – but for European students. The Games take place every two years and are organised by the European Sports Association (EUSA). In odd-numbered years, the EUSA organises the European University Football Championships (EUFC), at which the WG has often excelled.
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