Zagreb - The symbolic 30-day countdown has begun for the seventh edition of the European Universities Games (EUG Salerno 2026), scheduled to run from July 18 to August 1. As anticipation builds for the opening ceremony at Piazza della Libertà in the Italian city of Salerno, the organizational machine is locking in final registrations. Current figures show over 4,000 athletes set to compete across 13 sports.
The University of Zagreb claims the title of the most heavily represented institution, heading to Salerno with a massive delegation of 232 athletes and officials, fielding 22 teams across 12 disciplines. Croatia will be a dominant force at the games, with nine other national institutions participating, including the College of Applied Sciences Lavoslav Ruzicka in Vukovar, the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, and the universities of Osijek, Rijeka, Slavonski Brod, Split, Zadar, and Zagreb (Applied Sciences), alongside University North.
Right behind Zagreb are the hosts, the University of Salerno. Boasting 213 athletes and officials, they will field 21 teams. While slightly smaller than the Croatian squad, the host university holds a unique record: they are the only delegation competing in every single sport on the 2026 program.
In total, 181 European universities representing 31 nations will take part. That number rises to 32 countries when including Northern Cyprus, competing under the EUSA flag. Their representative, the Arkın University of Creative Arts and Design, is sending three athletes and one official for the table tennis tournament. However, they are not the smallest contingent. That record belongs to Montenegro’s University Donja Gorica from Podgorica, which is entering the men's padel tournament with just two athletes and one coach. Other notably streamlined delegations competing in table tennis include Armenia's State University of Economics (women's tournament) and Northern Ireland's Queen's University Belfast (men's tournament), both traveling with just four total members.