European Universities Games
Salerno 2026
July 18 - August 1

Mind-Blowing Reflexes and 100 km/h Rallies: Table Tennis Set to Ignite Eboli’s PalaSele!

If you think table tennis is just a leisure room game or a beach pastime, think again. At the European Universities Games, it’s the real deal: we’re talking about one of the fastest, most technical, and adrenaline-pumping sports on the entire programme.

From 18 to 22 July, Eboli’s PalaSele will become the absolute epicentre of the action. With six different brackets (men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and the two team tournaments), a spectacular show is guaranteed. The organisers have pulled out all the stops, setting up an incredible layout that will allow eight matches to be played simultaneously. That means a non-stop barrage of spectacular rallies!

To give us a look behind the scenes of such a massive setup is Francesco Virtuoso, FiTet technical delegate for the Games and regional councillor of the sports federation:

“Choosing the PalaSele – explains Francesco Virtuoso, FiTet technical delegate for the Games and regional councillor of the sports federation – was almost a necessity. Table tennis might seem like an easy sport to organise logistically, but in reality, it isn’t. You have to consider that every playing area must meet the international dimensions of 14 by 7 metres. In our case, we had to set up eight competition areas and six training areas, which requires a huge amount of space to ensure all athletes have the same playing conditions and the same quality of equipment.”

SQUADRA FEMMINILE CUS SALERNO Rita Guarino, Martina Lamberti, Aurora Paola Pasquariello ALLENATORI CUS SALERNO Visconti Luca, Grillo Claudio, Montagnani Antonio (official)

Salerno: A True Stronghold for the Sport

Playing this tournament in the Salerno area has a special flavour. Around here, table tennis isn’t a newcomer; it’s a sport with deep roots and a glorious history (those who are a bit older will certainly remember the legendary era of Libertas Alfaterna from Nocera).

As Virtuoso tells us, the province has always been a breeding ground for talent:

“The province of Salerno – says Virtuoso – is one of those areas that has produced a significant number of high-level athletes. Table tennis is a sport that has always been practised with excellent results in this region. Alongside the exciting rise of Alfaterna in the late 80s and 90s, with the reaching and competing in the European Cups, Cava de’ Tirreni, with TT Cava, also competed in the Serie A2 national championship until two years ago and has been playing in Serie B1 since last year. Beyond these historic teams, the province can count on numerous clubs participating in national and regional championships, with athletes who continue to achieve outstanding results at a national level.”

An International Bracket (and Our Teams to Cheer For!)

The beauty of the EUG is the international atmosphere you can breathe in the corridors and on the courts. The table tennis tournament will see the finest student-athletes in Europe go head-to-head. Representing Italy, we have teams from the University of Salerno (we’re playing at home, let’s make some noise!) and the University of Bologna, ready to battle it out in both the men’s and women’s draws.

The technical level will be stellar, as the technical delegate reminds us:

“There are several exciting athletes – says Virtuoso – and the competition will feature a remarkably high technical standard, with students coming from all over the world. Italy will be represented by Bologna and Salerno, but there are many European universities that will play a leading role, coming from Northern and Eastern Europe. There will be a team from Belfast and one from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which, with the Arkin University, will compete under the EUSA flag. Some universities even field top-tier athletes from other countries who are enrolled in their degree courses: for instance, there will be two Chinese athletes playing for an English university’s team. Historically, in Europe, the nations that have produced the world’s best table tennis players are France – which in recent years has consistently had players at the top of the international rankings – alongside Poland and Sweden, which are well-established powerhouses in the table tennis world. Italy has excellent athletes as well. We hope that, within the context of this university event, the teams from Salerno and, hopefully, Bologna can achieve significant results.”

SQUADRA MASCHILE CUS SALERNO: Gianfranco Cifarelli, Antonio Coluccino, Alessandro De Luca, Fabio Ferrara, Guido Vitale

Who Are the Champions to Beat?

To see who rules the roost in European university sports, let’s look at the reigning champions who triumphed in the last edition in Debrecen. They will be the targets to beat this year:

• Men’s Singles: Jakub Folwarski (Poland – Zamojski Academy)
• Women’s Singles: Inês Matos (Portugal – University of Porto)
• Men’s Doubles: Ibrahim Gündüz & Amin Ahmadian (Turkey – Istanbul Nişantaşı University)
• Women’s Doubles: Kalina Hristova & Mariya Yovkova (Bulgaria – Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski)
• Women’s Team Tournament: University of Zagreb (Croatia)
• Men’s Team Tournament: Istanbul Nişantaşı University (Turkey)

The draw and technical meeting will take place on 17 July, and the action starts the very next day. We’ll be in the stands at Eboli’s PalaSele to cheer them on. Will you? 

📌 RECAP: Key Info on EUG Salerno 2026

• What is it? The European Universities Games, hosted in Italy for the first time, organised thanks to the synergy between the University of Salerno, CUS Salerno, and ADISURC, with support from FederCusi and the Campania Region.
• When? From 18 July to 1 August.
• Where? Held at the Fisciano and Baronissi campuses and across sports facilities in 13 municipalities in the Salerno and Avellino provinces.