UDS Makes History a World University Football Champions
The University for Development Studies (UDS) of Ghana has made history by winning the 2025 FISU Universities World Football Tournament in Dalian, China.
The School has thus become the first Ghanaian and African university to lift the prestigious global title.
UDS staged a stunning comeback to defeat Brazil’s Paulista University 2–1 in a dramatic final.
The game started disastrously for UDS, as they conceded the fastest goal in the tournament’s history scored inside 20 seconds of play.
But the Ghanaian side refused to bow and launched wave after wave of attacks, with Ezideen, Renchi, Hamza Abukari, and skipper Mohammed Asigre all testing the Brazilian defence, though they went into halftime trailing 1–0.
UDS’s persistence finally paid off in the 85th minute when Asigre blasted home the equalizer after Frimpong’s effort was parried.
The game went into extra time, where UDS dominated but suffered a setback when Hamza was stretchered off injured in the 118th minute.
Then, in the final moment of the 120th minute, Ezideen’s corner sailed past the Brazilian goalkeeper into the net, sealing a famous 2–1 victory.
The triumph not only delivered Ghana’s first global football crown since the Black Satellites’ 2009 U-20 World Cup win but also cemented UDS’s place in history as world university football champions.
