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– Geneva 2026

The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, together with its partners, is pleased to announce the 24 teams that have qualified for the Advanced Rounds of the 18th Nelson Mandela World Human Rights Moot Court Competition, to be held in person in Geneva, Switzerland, from 13 to 17 July 2026, with the Final of the Competition taking place at the Palais des Nations on 17 July 2026. While the advancing teams are from universities in all 5 UN regions, teams from universities in two countries (India and Kenya) have dominated. Four teams arguing in Spanish and one team that argued in French qualified for the Advanced Rounds.

From Memorial Submission to the Oral Preliminary Rounds

A record number of 122 teams from universities across the globe registered and submitted written heads of argument.   This number reflects the extraordinary reach and prestige of the Nelson Mandela World Moot Court Competition.

Following the evaluation of the submitted memorials, the top 50 teams were selected to participate in the online oral preliminary rounds. These rounds were held from 18 to 23 May 2026 across five virtual courtrooms. During rigorous assessment covering 200 oral pleading sessions, each team argued four rounds — twice as Applicant and twice as Respondent — before panels of judges drawn from the legal community across the world.

Regional distribution of 50 teams participating in the oral preliminary rounds:

The 24 teams advancing to in-person rounds in Geneva:

The following 24 teams have earned their place at the Advanced Rounds in Geneva, listed alphabetically by country:

Highlights

• Africa leads the field with 8 qualifying teams, from 5 different countries — 4 teams from Kenya and 1 each from Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
• Asia-Pacific is equally well represented with 7 teams, including 5 from India, and 1 each from Bangladesh and Cambodia.
• All four Spanish-speaking teams that participated in the oral rounds have qualified for Geneva — a historic and remarkable achievement.
• Côte d'Ivoire's Université Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest is the sole French-speaking team to advance, a proud achievement for the Francophone legal community.
• The Competition attracted teams from across five continents and over 30 countries, confirming the truly global reach of the Nelson Mandela World Moot.

What's next

The 24 qualifying teams will be contacted shortly with information regarding registration, visa invitation letters, and logistical arrangements for the Advanced Rounds in Geneva. All participants are encouraged to ensure that their travel documentation is in order.

The Centre for Human Rights congratulates all 24 qualifying teams and extends its sincere appreciation to every team that participated in this year’s competition. The standard of advocacy witnessed throughout the online preliminary rounds was very high, promising an outstanding Final Round at the Palais des Nations.