European Universities Debating Championships

The European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC) is Europe’s largest academic debate tournament, annually bringing together students from over 25 countries. The 2026 edition will be hosted in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Participants will debate current political, ethical, and social issues in the British Parliamentary format, competing for titles in the Open and English as a Second Language (ESL) categories.

Europe’s largest university debate tournament

The European Universities Debating Championships (EUDC) is the annual European university debating championship, organized under the auspices of the EUDC Council. The tournament brings together student debaters from over 25 European countries and is held in the British Parliamentary (BP) format—the international standard for academic debating, pitting teams of two debaters against three other teams in a simulated parliamentary setting. The tournament consists of multiple rounds, culminating in semi-finals and a grand final.

Categories and champions

The EUDC has two main categories: the Open category, open to all participants, and the English as a Second Language (ESL) category, for debaters whose native language is not English. The current Open champions are Paula Djaković and Petar Žnidar of the University of Zagreb; the current ESL champions are Leo Marinopoulos and Max Papaioannides of the University of Oxford.

Who is the EUDC for?

The tournament is aimed at university students who actively engage in debating within their debating society or university. In addition to the competitions, the EUDC offers a comprehensive social program, where students from across Europe meet and connect across national borders.

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