The University for Development Studies (UDS) have been crowned champions of the 12th All-Africa University Games football competition after a 2–1 victory over Guinea’s Université Julius Nyerere de Kankan in the final in Cairo, Egypt.

The result secures a second successive continental title for the Tamale-based University and makes UDS the first institution in the history of the competition to win the football crown in back-to-back editions.

UDS went into the Cairo tournament as defending champions, having won the previous edition in Lagos, Nigeria, two years ago. They successfully navigated another demanding continental campaign to retain their title, underlining their growing status as one of Africa’s leading university football sides.

The Ghanaian representatives reached the final after an emphatic 4–0 semi-final victory over hosts Delta University, a performance that demonstrated both their attacking strength and defensive discipline. Earlier in the group phase, UDS drew 1–1 with the University of Hertfordshire, Egypt, before recovering strongly to secure a place in the knockout stage.

In the final, UDS showed composure and resilience to overcome Julius Nyerere University 2–1 and write a new chapter in Ghanaian university sport. The victory is particularly significant for the university, whose football programme has enjoyed a remarkable run of success in recent years across West African, continental and global university competitions.

Before the team’s departure for Cairo, UDS Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mohammed Muniru Iddrisu urged the players to play with discipline, teamwork and pride as representatives of both the university and Ghana. UDS captain Mohammed Asigri had also pledged that the players would give their all to defend the trophy won in Lagos.

The Cairo Games brought together more than 2,000 student-athletes and officials from 82 universities across 18 African countries. The event featured 18 main sports, four para-sports and three recreational games, with football among the finals staged on the closing day. It was organized by Egypt’s ministries of higher education and youth and sports, alongside the Federation of African University Sports and the Egyptian University Sports Federation.

By retaining the African title, UDS have earned the right to represent Africa at the 2026 FISU World University Championships, where they will seek to extend their impressive record on the global stage.