ICPC Europe Championship 2026 — Official Rules

(These regulations will be officially finalized by the end of December 2025.)

1. Overview

ICPC Europe consists of four contest regions: CERC (Central Europe), NWERC (North Europe), SEERC (South-East Europe), and SWERC (South-West Europe). Together, these regions encompass more than 40 countries and over 1500 universities, including many of the highest-ranked institutions worldwide. During the 2025–26 season, over 400 teams competed in European regional contests for a chance to advance to the World Finals.

The 2026 ICPC Europe Championship (ICPC EUC 2026) will be hosted by the University of Warsaw from 6–8 February 2026. This will be the third championship of the European super-region.

2. Advancement to the ICPC Europe Championship

A total of 52 teams will qualify for the 2026 ICPC EUC according to the following rules:

  1. Each region is allocated 25% of the Championship slots.
  2. The highest-ranked teams from each regional contest, with a limit of one team per university, advance to the EUC.
  3. In exceptional and duly justified circumstances, the Steering Committee may approve up to two additional teams, still respecting the limit of one team per university.

3. Team Notification and Confirmation

Coaches will receive formal invitations for qualified teams.
Within 10 business days of receiving the invitation, the coach must confirm to the EUC Committee (euc.committee@icpc.global) that the team is ready, willing, and able to participate in all EUC events.
Teams competing in the EUC must also be prepared and eligible to compete in the World Finals.

4. Qualification for the World Finals

European advancement rules to the World Finals may vary from year to year. For the 2026 World Finals, the following rules apply:

  1. Two top-ranked teams from different institutions in each of the four European regions qualify directly for the WF.
  2. Eight additional slots will be allocated at the EUC to the highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified.
  3. If any further WF slots remain, they will be awarded to the next highest-ranked teams from the EUC.

5. Requests for Contestant Replacement

Coaches may request the replacement of a contestant, subject to the following conditions:

  • A team that qualified for the World Finals through its regional contest may request a contestant replacement for participation in the EUC; however, the team invited to the World Finals will remain the team that originally earned the qualification.
  • If a team competes in the EUC with a replacement member and qualifies for the World Finals at the EUC, the team as constituted at the EUC will be the team invited to the World Finals.

6. The EUC Contest

  • The ICPC EUC will be held in person, consistent with the World Finals and on-site regional contests.
  • Each team of three contestants will work on a single computer using the contest control system provided by the organizers. The system will be available for testing prior to the contest.
  • The permitted programming languages are: Java, Kotlin, Python 3, C, and C++.
  • Reference solutions will be written in C++.
  • Contestants may not bring any additional computers, electronic devices, calculators, or screens into the Team Area.
  • Each team member may bring one printed dictionary in a natural language, containing no notes or annotations.
  • The scoreboard will freeze one hour before the end of the contest and will remain frozen until the closing ceremony.
  • Contest duration: 5 hours.

7. Judging and Scoring

  • All judging and scoring will follow the ICPC World Finals Rules.
  • Submissions resulting in compile-time errors are not penalized.
  • Abusive behavior, such as continuous compile-time error submissions intended to disrupt the contest or other teams, may be treated as system tampering and may result in disqualification.

8. Eligibility

Eligibility is defined by the ICPC Regional Rules.

All participants must present valid identification at on-site registration (e.g., passport, driver’s license).
Contestants must also provide proof of enrollment at the university they represented in the regional contest. A letter on university stationery signed by a university official, accompanied by an English translation, is sufficient.

9. Code of Conduct

Unless otherwise stated, the ICPC EUC follows the ICPC World Finals Code of Conduct.
Key provisions include:

  • Contestants may not touch any workstation equipment until instructed by the designated proctor.
  • Communication during the contest is restricted to team members only.
  • Approved members of the contest staff may communicate with teams solely for matters such as submitting solutions, handling clarifications, and resolving technical issues.
  • The Team Reference Document (TRD) is the only permitted source of pre-written code.
  • Other permitted non-code materials, including dictionaries, are listed at: https://icpc.global/worldfinals/on-site-registration
  • Any activity that compromises the integrity or fairness of the contest may lead to team disqualification.
  • Violations may result in expulsion from the EUC and exclusion from future ICPC events.

10. Attendance Requirements

All contestants must attend every mandatory online and in-person event listed in the EUC schedule.
Coaches must attend team registration and all check-in events and remain reachable during all contest activities.
Failure to attend required events may result in disqualification.

11. Awards and Rankings

Teams are ranked according to:

  1. The number of problems solved
  2. If tied: the lowest total time
  3. If still tied: the earliest submission time of the last accepted problem

Awards:

  • Gold Medals: Teams ranked 1st–4th
  • Silver Medals: Teams ranked 5th–8th
  • Bronze Medals: Teams ranked 9th–12th

Additionally:

  • A diploma will be awarded for the first accepted solution in the contest overall.
  • Diplomas will also be awarded for the first accepted solution to each individual problem.

12. Complaints, Appeals, and Remedies

Coaches may file complaints and appeals according to the procedures described in the ICPC Regional Rules.
The process begins with the coach submitting a complaint to the EUC Committee (euc.committee@icpc.global) within one business day of the announcement of results.

13. Revisions

These rules may be revised annually as necessary.

Last updated: 02 December 2025