Bialystok University of Technology hosted the 3rd BUT CUP Football Tournament for the Rector’s Cup

10-06-2025

Three young men are playing football on an artificial turf pitch; one is standing in goal, two others are in front of him, with one of them wearing an orange shirt. In the background, there is an observer and several large water bottles.

For the third time, Bialystok University of Technology has hosted the international BUT CUP Football Tournament for the Rector’s Cup. The event held at the Orlik pitch in the heart of the University campus brought together 86 players from several countries.

The two-day BUT CUP Tournament was held at the Orlik pitch, part of the sports and tennis complex located in the middle of the Bialystok University of Technology campus. The universal language of sport brought together the international community of the University.

– Both international students participating in academic exchange programmes, including Erasmus+, and staff and Polish students of Bialystok University of Technology have embraced sports as a way of integration – says Assoc. Prof. Dorota Anna Krawczyk, DSc, PhD, Eng, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Bialystok University of Technology. – Sporting events foster relationships and bonds. They also promote a healthy lifestyle. Our outdoor sports facilities make it easy to organise such activities. They are a great complement to other efforts we make to support academic mobility, such as summer schools, volunteering, and international workshops. These initiatives enhance participants’ qualifications, competences and knowledge. Meanwhile, the BUT CUP Tournament is a great opportunity to integrate through sports competition and, above all, to have fun.

Eight teams took part in the 3rd BUT CUP Football Tournament for the Rector’s Cup of Bialystok University of Technology: four international teams, three local teams, and one composed of staff members of the University. A total of 16 matches were played. The players represented countries such as Portugal, India, Syria, Nigeria, Spain, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Burundi, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mauritius, Turkey, Zimbabwe, and Palestine.

On 10 June 2025, after intense qualifying rounds and a thrilling final, the winning team of the 3rd BUT CUP Football Tournament for the Rector’s Cup of Bialystok University of Technology was ‘Panthers’, comprising students from Spain, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Morocco, Palestine, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, Burundi, and Rwanda.

The student team ‘Golec Brothers’ came second. Third place went to ‘BUT Staff’, a team of academic teachers and administrative staff of the University.

Bialystok University of Technology is an institution that actively supports the development of international cooperation. In the QS Europe University Rankings 2025, in the category of inbound student mobility, it ranked 1st in Poland, 2nd in Eastern Europe, and 50th in Europe. In the category of outbound student mobility, the University placed 4th in Poland and 19th in Eastern Europe.

The University also enhances its international collaboration through the European University ACROSS project. It is a member of a consortium of nine European universities united by a long-term strategy in education and the promotion of European values.

The 3rd BUT CUP Football Tournament for the Rector’s Cup of Bialystok University of Technology, held on 9–10 June 2025, was organised by the International Relations Offices of the University as part of the Action–Integration 2.0 project, aimed at supporting the international integration of students and building an open and friendly academic environment. The project is funded by the NAWA Welcome to Poland Programme.