The Costa Rican University Games (JUNCOS) CONARE 2026 will bring together 1,586 student athletes from 17 universities and higher education institutions across Costa Rica from October 9 to 18. The 25th edition of these sporting events will take place at different venues in the Greater Metropolitan Area and will feature competitions in ten disciplines.

The event is being jointly organized for the first time by four public universities: the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (TEC), the National University (UNA), and the State Distance University (UNED).

An edition with participation from 17 institutions

JUNCOS CONARE 2026 will include representatives from public and private universities, bringing students from different institutions together through sport and university life.

The participating institutions include the University of Costa Rica, the Costa Rica Institute of Technology, the National University, the State Distance University, the National Technical University, the University of Ibero-America, the Autonomous University of Central America, the Hispano-American University, ULACIT, CENFOTEC University, the University College of Cartago, the American University, EARTH University, the University of Medical Sciences, Fidélitas University, Lead University, and Universidad Latina de Costa Rica.

A total of 645 women and 941 men will participate.

Ten disciplines are part of the program

During the ten days of competition, students will compete in chess, athletics, basketball, football, futsal, karate, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, and volleyball.

The first competitions will begin on October 9 with swimming, football, futsal, basketball, and volleyball. The different disciplines will be held at university facilities and other sports venues across the Greater Metropolitan Area.

UCR will play a central role in the competitions

The University of Costa Rica will be one of the main venues for this edition and will also have the largest university delegation, made up of 278 student athletes: 131 women and 147 men.

UCR facilities will host several competitions. Swimming will take place at the swimming pool of the Sports Facilities at the Rodrigo Facio campus, while athletics will be held at the track of the Ecological Stadium.

Football will use the Ecological Stadium, the Law School Field, and the UCR Synthetic Field. Chess, meanwhile, will take place at the Gallery of General Studies at the Rodrigo Facio campus.

Competitions spread across the Greater Metropolitan Area

The JUNCOS competitions will not be concentrated on a single university campus. The different participating institutions will serve as venues throughout the Greater Metropolitan Area.

Basketball will be held at the Heredia High School Gymnasium, while futsal will take place at the Student Promotion Gymnasium of the National University.

Volleyball will begin its first rounds at the Goicoechea Gymnasium and will hold its final stages at the CODEA Gymnasium in Alajuela.

Karate and taekwondo will take place at UNED’s facilities in Escazú, while table tennis will be held at the National Hall located in Parque de la Paz.

An agenda that begins on October 8

Although the first competitions are scheduled for October 9, the official opening ceremony of JUNCOS CONARE 2026 will take place on Thursday, October 8 at 6:00 p.m. at the Daniel Oduber Paraninfo of UNED.

The competitions will continue until Sunday, October 18, when the closing ceremony of this 25th edition is scheduled to take place.

In several disciplines, the final rounds will be concentrated during the last weekend. In football, the finals are scheduled for October 17, while the volleyball finals will take place on October 18.

Beyond sporting competition

For the organizing universities, JUNCOS also represents a space for students from different institutions to come together and an opportunity to promote values related to teamwork, discipline, and personal development.

The 2026 edition also stands out for bringing together public and private universities in the same competition. For participants, the event offers an opportunity to represent their institutions while sharing experiences with student athletes from different parts of the country.

The organizers have also highlighted the importance of student well-being during the competitions, including aspects related to mental health and support for athletes, coaches, families, and spectators.

Ten days of university sports

With 1,586 students, 17 participating institutions, and ten sporting disciplines, JUNCOS CONARE 2026 will become one of the main events on Costa Rica’s university sports calendar over ten days.

The different venues across the Greater Metropolitan Area will allow competitions to take place simultaneously in different locations, while participating universities will seek to represent their institutions both on and off the sports fields.

The organizers invite the public to attend the different events and to check the schedule for each discipline through the official channels of the participating universities.