By Charmaine Ndlela
Varsity Football returns in August with a revamped schedule, as South Africa’s premier university football competition introduces Friday night fixtures for the men’s tournament while the women’s championship opens the 2026 season.
The move to Friday evenings marks one of the biggest changes in the competition’s history, with organisers aiming to create a prime-time matchday experience for supporters.
The women’s tournament kicks off on 1 August and will be contested over two weekends before the men’s competition begins on 7 August and runs through to 2 October.
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Eight universities will compete for the women’s title: Walter Sisulu University (WSU), Wits University, the University of Limpopo (UL), Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the University of Pretoria (Tuks) and defending champions the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
UWC enter the tournament seeking a fourth consecutive Varsity Football Women’s title after defeating UJ in the 2025 final at UJ Soweto Stadium to secure a historic third successive championship.
The opening round of the women’s competition will be hosted by the University of Pretoria on 1 August, with the following fixtures:
- WSU vs Wits – 1:00pm
- UL vs CPUT – 3:00pm
- TUT vs UJ – 5:00pm
- Tuks vs UWC – 7:00pm
The men’s competition will see defending champions the University of the Free State (UFS) begin their title defence after defeating TUT 5-4 on penalties in the 2025 final at Shimla Park.
The University of Limpopo joins this year’s men’s competition, while UWC returns after missing last season’s tournament. North-West University (NWU) and the Central University of Technology (CUT) did not qualify.
The opening men’s fixtures on 7 August are:
- UFS vs Tuks – 5:00pm, Shimla Park
- UJ vs TUT – 7:15pm, UJ Soweto Stadium
- UWC vs Wits – 6:30pm, UWC Stadium
- UL vs DUT – 6:30pm, Oscar Mpetha Stadium
Ahead of the new season, Varsity Football has launched a nationwide campus activation campaign to promote the competition and engage students.
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The campaign began at the University of Johannesburg on 24 July and continues at participating institutions in the lead-up to kick-off.
The remaining activation schedule is:
- University of Limpopo – 29 July, 1:00pm to 2:00pm, Thami Square
- University of the Western Cape – 31 July, 9:00am to 2:00pm, UWC Residences
- University of Pretoria (Tuks) – 31 July, 11:00am to 2:00pm, Piazza, Hatfield Campus
- University of the Free State – 5 August, 12:00pm to 2:00pm, Thakaneng Bridge
