Episode 1
Bristol v Imperial
Jul 13, 2026
The series kicks off with a match between students from Bristol and Imperial.
Episode 2
Durham v Manchester
Jul 20, 2026
In another first-round heat, students from Durham take on defending champions Manchester.
Episode 3
University College, Oxford v St John's College, Cambridge
Jul 27, 2026
In another first-round game, University College, Oxford play St John’s College, Cambridge.
Episode 4
Guildhall School of Music and Drama v Darwin College, Cambridge
Aug 3, 2026
The Guildhall School of Music and Drama makes its University Challenge debut against Darwin College, Cambridge.
Episode 5
Magdalen College, Oxford v Warwick
Aug 10, 2026
The heats continue, with Magdalen College, Oxford facing Warwick for a place in the second round.
Episode 6
Bath v City St George’s University
Aug 17, 2026
Teams from Bath and City St George’s University play their first game in this year's first competition.
Episode 7
Pembroke College, Cambridge v St Andrews
Aug 24, 2026
Pembroke College, Cambridge and St Andrews are the teams facing their first starters for ten.
Episode 8
LSE v King's College, Cambridge
Aug 31, 2026
In another first round match, the London School of Economics face King’s College, Cambridge.
Episode 9
Birmingham v Leicester
Sep 7, 2026
The first round of the competition continues with a Midlands derby. Students from Birmingham take on a team from Leicester.
Episode 10
UCL v Royal College of Art
Sep 14, 2026
UCL begin their series campaign against the first team ever to qualify from the Royal College of Art.
Episode 11
Southampton v Queen’s University Belfast
Sep 21, 2026
Southampton and Queen’s University Belfast go head-to-head for a place in round 2.
Episode 12
Emmanuel College, Cambridge v Somerville College, Oxford
Sep 28, 2026
Teams from Emmanuel College, Cambridge and Somerville College, Oxford put fingers on buzzers for the first time.
Episode 13
Glasgow v Goldsmiths
Oct 5, 2026
The University of Glasgow takes on Goldsmiths, University of London in the penultimate match of the first round.
Episode 14
SOAS v Edinburgh
Oct 12, 2026
The first round of the competition concludes with a match between SOAS University of London and Edinburgh.
Episode 15
St John's, Cambridge v LSE
Oct 19, 2026
Two of the highest-scoring losing teams from the heats get a second chance to qualify for the second round.
Episode 16
Bristol v Queen’s, Belfast
Oct 26, 2026
In the second of the round one repechage games, Bristol and Queen’s University Belfast compete for the final place in the second round.
Episode 17
St John’s Cambridge v Pembroke, Cambridge
Nov 2, 2026
Round two of the competition begins tonight with a Cambridge derby. St John’s face Pembroke for the first place in the quarter-finals.
Episode 18
Glasgow v Southampton
Nov 9, 2026
Round two of the competition continues. Glasgow and Southampton battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals.
Episode 19
Bristol v Bath
Nov 23, 2026
In another second-round match, the team from Bristol take on neighbours on the Avon at the University of Bath for a place in the quarter-finals.
Episode 20
Manchester v Warwick
Nov 30, 2026
The round of 16 continues. Teams from Manchester and Warwick return to play for a second time, each hoping to earn themselves a quarter-final spot.
Skip to content