Host of WUDC 2028 · 27 Dec 2027 – 4 Jan 2028

I am because
we are.

Tshwane hosts the World Universities Debating Championship in Pretoria — organised by the University of Pretoria Debating Union, Gauteng Debate, and Think Uhuru, under the philosophy of Ubuntu.

Express interest Check your visa

Until Tshwane WUDC Begins

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Days

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Pretoria, RSA

Host City

Hatfield, UP

Host Campus

2,000

Participants expected

$55,000+

Scholarship fund

“We do not promise the flashiest tournament, but we promise a space where debaters can test the true strength of their ability against the full might of the globe.”

Lucien Mendela — Convenor

“Our mission is to deliver a WUDC that may not be perfect, but where everyone leaves feeling the team worked tirelessly to ensure a fair and inclusive tournament.”

Klaudia, Matt & Mubarrat — Chief Adjudicators

From the host team

Updates

What is live now, and what is still coming. We will add a note here when there is something the circuit can act on.

September 2026
Visa checker is live
Type your passport country on the Journey page for visa-free, ETA, eVisa, or mission guidance, with official South African government links.
27 Dec 2027 – 4 Jan 2028
Championship dates
Nine days on the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield campus in Pretoria. Arrival Monday 27 December; departure Tuesday 4 January.
2027
Registration still to open
Team, adjudicator and independent registration will open closer to the championship. Institutions and sponsors can send an expression of interest now. Documents will land on Resources as they are published.

For the circuit

Expression of interest

This is not participant registration. Institutions and sponsors can tell the host team they want to be involved. If that is not you, choose Other and say what you are. We will email the hosts and add you to WUDC 2028 updates.

The host team will read this. For formal enquiries write to info@gautengdebate.org. Follow the hosts on Instagram too.

Ubuntu (n.)

Pronunciation: oo–buhn–too
Origin: Nguni, South African
Definition: “The belief that we are defined by our compassion and humanity towards others.”

The theme

I am because we are.

Lending from the philosophy of Ubuntu, our theme for Tshwane WUDC 2028 embodies interconnectedness, community, and shared humanity — the belief that an individual’s existence is shaped by relationships and collective experience.

In the context of WUDC 2028, this theme asks every participant to recognise the power of unity and collective wisdom. Debate, at its core, is about engaging with diverse perspectives and forging connections that transcend borders.

“I am because we are” is a reminder that as we gather for this championship, we are part of something greater than ourselves — an opportunity to shape the future of debate, foster understanding, and build a more inclusive world.

Pillar One

Accessibility

Opening doors to everyone. We are committed to breaking down barriers, ensuring this WUDC is truly inclusive, and creating opportunities for debaters from every background to shine.

Pillar Two

Excellence

Our promise to make this the most competitive and inspiring championship yet — because WUDC reaches its fullest potential when it is accessible to all.

1997 · 2003 · 2019

Prior WUDCs hosted in South Africa

100%

Visa success rate at PAUDC 2025

124

SA diplomatic missions worldwide

1948

UP debated Oxford — first of many

Why this activity

Why debating matters

Debate is not a game we happen to be good at. It is one of the few rooms left where people from opposite lives have to listen long enough to change their mind — or to defend a belief in public, under pressure, with respect.

A civic skill

How communities decide

Every motion is a rehearsal for the arguments that shape law, media and policy. Debaters learn to test an idea in the open, not to shout it louder. That habit is how democracies, campuses and families stay capable of disagreement.

A human practice

I am because we are

You cannot win a debate alone. You need a partner, a bench, a room that will hear you. Ubuntu is not a slogan we printed for WUDC — it is what the activity already asks: your voice only means something because other people are there.

A door

The world championship should be reachable

If WUDC is only for those who can already afford the flight, it stops being a world championship. Tshwane 2028 exists to keep that door open — scholarships, visas, and a host that treats access as part of excellence, not an afterthought.

Three organisations, one host

Hosted by

A partnership built for scale: a century-old university debating union, Gauteng’s premier debate organisation, and Africa’s largest accessible championship — joining forces for Tshwane 2028. Meet the full organising team →

University of Pretoria Debating Union

A community dedicated to developing debate skill since the university’s earliest days — home to the first all-women POC team to win SANUDC, and host of the Pretoria Parley Invitational since 2016.

Gauteng Debate

Gauteng’s leading debating and public speaking organisation, running the Gauteng Open and Pan-African tournaments, and convening forums between young people and the province’s decision-makers.

Think Uhuru

An African platform empowering youth through debate, public speaking, and leadership — organiser of Uhuru Worlds, the largest and most accessible debating tournament in the world.

Sponsorships

Why join forces with us

Brands, governments, universities and debate organisations that partner with Tshwane 2028 stand in a room the whole world walks through — and help make sure that room is not reserved for the already-connected.

The stage

Global, for nine days

Around 2,000 participants, every inhabited continent, and a championship that lives on campus, on socials, and in the memory of the people who will run the next twenty years.

The work

Access is the product

Scholarships, visa support and development are not extras. Partners who join us are funding who gets to speak, not only who gets to see a logo.

Why partner with Tshwane 2028 →

For the circuit

Resources

Documents, visas, scholarships and everything else you will need as we build towards Pretoria.

Coming later

To the global debating community

“The most vital ingredient is you. Give us your trust, and together, we will shake the world.”

Lucien Mendela · Convenor, Tshwane WUDC 2028

Contact the host team Meet the team