• His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama: “Developing a future-ready digital ecosystem, supported by forward-looking policies, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and focused on building highly skilled human capital, is central to the long-term vision of the UAE and Dubai.”
  • Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy is the official host of the world’s largest competition of its kind.
  • Today, with over 500,000 alumni worldwide, the ICPC community spans the globe, with annual participation levels reaching 10,000 volunteers and over 12,000 coaches serving 63,000 team members representing 3,350 universities located in 93 countries.
  • Participating teams will tackle a set of complex programming challenges that require advanced algorithmic thinking and rapid problem-solving, and must solve as many as possible in the shortest time.

Dubai, UAE – Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, the emirate will host the 50th edition of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) World Finals from 15-20 November 2026. The event highlights Dubai’s role as a global hub for digital innovation and a leading destination for the world’s top programming talent, reaffirming the emirate’s commitment to developing advanced digital skills among future generations.

The announcement was made during a press conference held today at Dubai Chambers’ headquarters in the presence of Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and Dr. William B. Poucher, President, CEO, and Board Chair of the ICPC Foundation.

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, will serve as the official host of the 50th ICPC World Finals. Considered the largest of its kind worldwide, the competition spans the globe, with annual participation of 12,000 coaches serving 63,000 team members representing 3,350 universities located in 93 countries on six continents. It features a series of regional contests culminating in eight ICPC Region Championships that advance to the ICPC World Finals, bringing together the world’s elite university teams of mission-critical problem solvers to Dubai to compete in the 2026 ICPC World Championship, supported by long-term ICPC sponsors Huawei, JetBrains, Google, OpenAI, Jane Street, Jump Trading, Citadel, Revolut, Alber Blanc and many more.

His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, and Chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, emphasised that developing a future-ready digital ecosystem, supported by forward-looking policies, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and focused on building highly skilled human capital, is central to the long-term vision of the UAE and Dubai. Al Olama noted that this approach is key to nurturing a new generation of digital leaders capable of delivering technology solutions with global impact, while accelerating the transition of knowledge from academia into real-world applications.

His Excellency also stated that hosting the 50th edition of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) World Finals underscores Dubai’s standing as a global technology hub and a leading destination for digital talent and innovators from around the world. The event represents a strategic, long-term investment in the knowledge economy, contributing to faster knowledge exchange, supporting the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, and strengthening Dubai’s competitiveness among the world’s most advanced and influential digital economies.

The ICPC World Finals mark the culmination of the global season, bringing together the top student teams from around the world to compete for the championship title. Over the course of five days, participants will take part in practical challenges and a series of activities that lead up to the final five-hour competition.

During the press conference, Saeed Al Gergawi, Vice President of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, commented: “Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy’s partnership with ICPC comes as part of our commitment to building advanced digital skills and strengthening the link between academia and industry. The competition brings the world’s best student talent together with leading technology partners, creating a platform for collaboration, learning, and future career pathways. Welcoming this landmark event to Dubai further advances the chamber’s drive to develop a future-focused, innovation-driven environment that enables talent and ideas to thrive.”

Dr. William B. Poucher, President, CEO, and Board Chair of the ICPC Foundation, stated: “This is our Golden Anniversary, the 50th Annual ICPC World Finals, bringing the next generation of mission-critical talent to join ICPC alumni and their colleagues to power the next 50 years of the global Digital Renaissance. They are the folks who will build systems that benefit their neighbours and their communities, together. I would like to thank Dubai and industry leadership for bringing them together and focusing the attention of the world on enabling and empowering those who can build platforms of prosperity for their neighbours, all 8 billion cousins and their kids.”

Over 130 elite teams will qualify for this stage from among 63,000 students representing more than 3,350 universities from 93 countries, including universities from the United Arab Emirates. Each team is made up of three participants and will tackle a set of complex coding challenges that require advanced algorithmic thinking and rapid problem-solving, with the goal of solving as many as possible in the shortest time. It is designed to test programming intelligence, innovation, teamwork, and the ability to perform under significant pressure.

Since its launch in 1970, the ICPC International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) has established itself as one of the world’s most influential talent pipelines for the technology sector. Its alumni network now includes more than 500,000 mission-critical developers, engineers, and technology leaders, globally. ICPC graduates are among the most sought-after professionals in the tech industry, with many finalists going on to hold prominent positions in leading technology companies and research institutions.

The event will provide an inspiring platform for students in the UAE and the wider region, encouraging them to pursue computer science and motivating local universities to expand their participation in national and regional competitions. The ICPC World Finals will also create valuable opportunities for companies to connect with emerging talent and build long-term partnerships between global technology sponsors, universities, and Dubai’s innovation ecosystem. This aligns with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), which aims to position Dubai among the world’s top three economic cities and strengthen its role as a global centre for investment, talent, and innovation.

About Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy

Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, one of three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, aims to strengthen Dubai’s position as a global leader in the digital economy; attract specialised talent, leading companies, and new investments; and create a stimulating environment that supports the growth of digital companies. The chamber was established by a decree issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

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ABOUT ICPC

The “ICPC International Collegiate Programming Contest”, known as the ICPC, is an annual multi-tiered competitive programming competition among the universities of the world. The ICPC is an extra-curricular, competitive programming sport for students at universities around the world. ICPC competitions provide gifted students opportunities to interact, demonstrate, and improve their teamwork, programming, and problem-solving prowess. The ICPC is a global platform for academia, industry, and community to shine the spotlight on and raise the aspirations of the next generation of computing professionals as they pursue excellence.

Tracing its roots to 1970, over 500,000 ICPC alumni populate the professional ranks of high-tech companies, consulting firms, financial institutions, investment firms, high-tech startups, venture-capital firms, academia, and public service.  ICPC Alumni are developers, software engineers, senior software engineers, leads, chiefs, CTOs, CEOs, founders, and co-founders. They are also professors, researchers, and in public service. A good number are in venture capital, helping others start companies. 

Renowned Participants

Some former ICPC finalists have made remarkable achievements in the software industry and research. They include Adam D'Angelo, the former CTO of Facebook and founder of Quora, Nikolai Durov, co-Founder of Telegram, Jakub Pachocki, Chief Scientist at OpenAI, Matei Zaharia, creator of Apache Spark, and Craig Silverstein, the first employee and CTO of Google.

About the ICPC Foundation

The ICPC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization founded to advance the art, sport, and science of competitive programming for the benefit of society. The ICPC International Collegiate Programming Contest operates under the ICPC Foundation and is responsible for sponsorship, fundraising, outreach, and operational matters. The ICPC Foundation strives to provide ample opportunity for the underserved, to create a tier of regional championships to recognize far more star performers and showcase emerging talent, and to bring ICPC alumni together, assuring future generations paths of excellence to being great problem solvers. The ICPC Foundation operates programs such as ICPC-U and the ICPC University Commons, which actively create opportunities, especially for the underserved, to pursue excellence within a culture of global inclusion and authenticity. For more information about the ICPC and the ICPC Foundation, visit icpc.foundation.

For more information, please contact:
Mohamad Mouzehem
PR & Corporate Communications
Email: mohamad.mouzehem@dubaichamber.com