The team consisting of Strahinja Batanjski (Faculty of Biology) and Obrad Kostić (Faculty of Organizational Sciences) won the world champion title in the English as a Second Language category, while Katarina Lazić (Faculty of Organizational Sciences) and Novak Čelebić (Faculty of Political Sciences) became world champions in the English as a Foreign Language category.
In addition to the two champion teams, four more teams from Serbia advanced to the elimination rounds of the competition. In the English as a Second Language category, Stefan Josipović (Faculty of Music Arts) and Konstantin Popović (Faculty of Organizational Sciences) reached the semifinals.
In the English as a Foreign Language category, Lazar Popović and Vasilije Milačić advanced to the finals, while Pavle Antonijević, Luka Maksić, and Filip Ubović (all students of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences), as well as Dimitrije Mikarić (Faculty of Electrical Engineering), reached the semifinals.
The World Universities Debating Championship has been held every winter since 1981 and represents the most prestigious competition in academic debate. The competition is conducted in the British Parliamentary debate format, in which teams of two students represent their universities.
The competition consists of nine preliminary rounds, in which teams earn points that determine their advancement to the elimination rounds. The elimination rounds are organized in three categories: the Open category, in which all teams compete; the English as a Second Language (ESL) category, intended for teams whose native language is not English; and the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) category, intended for teams for whom English is a foreign language.
This year’s championship was held in Bulgaria from December 27, 2025, to January 4, 2026, and brought together more than 1,000 participants from over 95 countries, including the world’s most prestigious universities, such as Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Stanford, and many others.
Due to the exceptionally strong international competition, the achieved result represents a major success and confirms the continuity of outstanding achievements by our students on the international academic stage.
