FIFA/CIES International University Network Award 2026
By the time of the application deadline, CIES had received eighteen projects which will now all compete in the sixteenth edition of the FIFA/CIES International University Network Award. An international jury will announce the winning entry on 3rd February 2026.
Eighteen group projects will participate in the 16th edition of the FIFA/CIES International University Network Final Project Award 2026. All of the projects received meet the submission criteria, including incorporating lessons learned during the FIFA/CIES International University Network Programme in Sport Management, the originality of the chosen theme, the way it is approached, the possibility of understanding and debating it in an innovative way and whether the issues are related to sport at continental, national or a local level. Finally, the selected projects must have the possibility of putting their proposals and conclusions into practice.
The projects received for 2026 judging focus on issues such as women's football, mixed sports, the creation of sports-related applications and new technologies, sports career management, protecting athletes from unintentionally using banned substances, sports for seniors, the development of sports tourism, improving the stadium experience, children and adolescents' physical health, fighting doping, healthcare services for athletes, sports for people with disabilities/amputees, football and education, developing the practice of 'bolas criollas', sports for economic development, inclusion and integration, sports consultancy and sports organisation management.
The received projects are as follows:
Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rodrigo Dia, Juan Talice, Julieta Tarana Van Morlegan, Fernando Virué.
The Mixed Goal Project - Rompiendo barreras: fútbol mixto reducido
Universidad Santo Tomás, Santiago, Chile
Javier Rojas Tapias, Juan Eduardo Navia, Sebastián Arce Terrazas, Sebastián Estay Díaz
Experiencia Estadio "Vive Replay" - Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Primera División Chile
Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal
Yacine Gaye, Catherine Sophie Faye, Ahmed Alioune Gueye, Mohamed Laclatif Diedhiou, Clotilde Olga Anna Aithson Max
Yokal - Référentiel local de management des organisations sportives
Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa
John Karanja Kimani, Martin Chege Njuguna, Charles Odhiambo Odera, Ramadhan Suleiman Missiru
Beyond Football: Enhancing the Impact of the FIFA Football for Schools Programme
Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Adel Emam, Aya Nagy, Mahmoud Shehata, Nahla Mahmoud, Seif Aly
Sports Path - Egypt’s first dedicated Sports Career Centre
Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Omneya Tarif Mohamed Anwar Fouad, Marwan Ahmed Aly El Amrawy, Omar Ayman Shata, Ibrahimi Issam, Mostafa Hany Farghaly
Dopix - Digital tool designed to protect athletes from unintentional doping by identifying prohibited substances in medicines based on WADA guidelines
Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Abdelrahim Gizaoui, Mansour Al-Harbi Saudi, Mohannad Hamdi, Mohsen Mostafa, Osama Masoud
Pro Care - Professional Athlete & Family Care
Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
Yendry Cambronero Córdoba, Gabriel Porras Carvajal, Andrey Rosales Badilla, Verónica Sibaja Jiménez, David Vargas Masis
Diseño de Plataforma Digital para difusión de Políticas Antidopaje en el fútbol masculino profesional de la Primera División costarricense, a través de dos de sus categorías menores: élites y prospectos
The University of the West Indies, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Jehiel Tenia, Yvette Mitchell
AQUA 60+ - A Community-Based Aquatic Wellness Programme for Adults Aged 60 and Over
Birzeit University, Ramallah, Palestine
A Rehabilitation Sports Model for the Integration of Amputees into Sports Clubs: An Applied Study on the Gaza Strip
Universidad Metropolitana, Caracas, Venezuela
Hairán Delgado, Paola Rivero, Antonella Schettino, Mariana Spina, María Teixeira
Liga Venezolana de Bolas Criollas (LVBC): formando el futuro con arraigo, servicio y pasión
Fundação Getulio Vargas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carlos Eduardo Marques Lopes, Flávia Bartolomeu Pizarro, Flavia Vitória Moura Da Silva, Hais Fernandes Magalhães, Vanessa Trindade Oliveira
Women's Football Libertadores Cup: A new Format
Universidad San Martín de Porres, Lima, Peru
Víctor Alfonso Alva Quiroz, Joanna Boloña Acuña, Luis Gómez Meneses, Sergio Rivera Blanco
Breaking Point Sports Consulting
Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland
Katarzyna Ogórek, Marek Konieczny, Wojciech Nowak
“Active Senior AI”: A Case Study of the Town of Piastów with Adaptation Potential for Municipal and Local Government Units in Poland
Pillai Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai, India
Shivansh Soni, Yashvardhan Singh, Akshada Apketar
Roadmap to boost ski sports tourism in the Himalayan region
Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, Ecuador
Jacob Boada, Karla Salas, Fabian Arrieta, Rolando Vera, Santiago León
Del sedentarismo digital a la actividad física en niños y adolescentes entre 8 y 16 años
Universidad de Puerto Rico – Recinto de Mayagüez, Puerto Rinco
Luz M. Montalvo Santiago, Natalia Padilla Morciglio, Nextor Ramírez Feliciano, Urayoán A. Vélez García, Ariana E. Pagán Muñoz
CONECTAFIT: la aplicación que te acompaña del entrenamiento a la recuperación
Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Bogotá, Colombia
Camilo Buitrago Hernández, Jesús Alberto Villarraga Parra
Deporte como motor de desarrollo: el potencial de la inversión de impacto en Colombia para atraer capital privado y optimizar recursos públicos
