Event Information

Overview

The 2026 Universal Cup Finals is the culminating event of Season 3 of the Universal Cup — a global competitive programming contest series. After more than 40 online training stages and semifinals involving over 500 teams worldwide, the top 23 teams have earned their place at the on-site finals.

Venue

Huawei Shanghai Lianqiu Lake Research and Development Center
Shanghai, China

The venue is one of Huawei's premier research facilities, offering a world-class environment for the competition. Detailed travel and accommodation information will be communicated to qualified teams via email.

Dates

May 7 – 12, 2026 (Wednesday to Monday)

• May 7: Arrival and registration
• May 8: Social event and icebreaker party
• May 9: Opening ceremony, warm-up contest, challenge contest
• May 10: Official contest day
• May 11: Award ceremony and conferences
• May 12: Departure

Contest Format

The Finals follow the standard ICPC/XCPC contest format. Teams of up to three members work together to solve a set of algorithmic problems within a fixed time limit. Teams are ranked by the number of problems solved, with ties broken by total penalty time.

Qualification

Teams were invited based on their performance throughout Season 3 of the Universal Cup, including:

• Online Stages: Top performers across 40+ training rounds
• Semifinals: Winners from regional semifinal competitions
• Contributors: Teams recognized for their contributions to the community
• Bonus Quota: Additional invitations supported by sponsors

All invitations were sent by the Universal Cup Scientific Committee via email.

Contact

For any questions or inquiries, please contact us at admin@ucup.ac.

Visit the official Universal Cup website at ucup.ac for the latest news and updates.