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Varsity in Cambridge: Oxford fixtures and the ski trip

Every year Cambridge and Oxford students meet in dozens of sports, from the Boat Race and the rugby Varsity Match to boxing, polo and the ski races. Here is what Varsity is, this season’s dates and how to watch.

Facts checked 8 Nov 2026 · every fact links its source

What Varsity is

Every year Cambridge and Oxford students compete against each other in a wide range of sports. The University says Varsity matches now cover more than 60 sports, that most take place in February and March, that many alternate between the two universities and some are held at well-known UK sporting venues. The tradition began in June 1827 with a cricket match at Lord's. The first teams at both universities are known as "the Blues". [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Dates this season

The fixtures whose 2026–27 dates the organisers have published, as of 8 Nov 2026. Other Varsity dates are usually announced closer to the day.

Varsity fixtures in 2026–27
FixtureWhenWhere
The Varsity Matches (women's and men's)Rugby union27 Feb 2027StoneX Stadium, London
The Boat Race (men's 15:40, women's 16:40)Rowing11 Apr 2027The Thames, Putney to Mortlake
2s/3s/4s Varsity (BDotY)HockeyLate February; 2027 date not yet publishedWilberforce Road, Cambridge
Men's Blues VarsityHockeyUsually the second Sunday of March; 2027 date not yet publishedSouthgate Hockey Centre, London (its venue since 2003)
Varsity Races (during the Varsity Trip)Ski and snowboardDuring the Varsity Trip, 5–12 Dec 2026; race days not yet publishedVal Thorens, France

Varsity fixtures listed on CAMsocs

Blues and Half Blues

Students who represent Cambridge in a Varsity match can earn a "Blue" or "Half Blue", depending on their sport's criteria. The Hawks' Club describes a Full Blue as the highest honour a Cambridge sportsperson can receive, roughly equal to national-level success in student competition, and a Half Blue as roughly county or regional level. In some Full Blue sports the Varsity second team receives Second Team Colours. Every award requires taking part in a Varsity Match or Race against Oxford, and awards are made by the Men's and Women's Blues Committees, whose criteria differ by sport and between men and women. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: The Hawks' Club

The Boat Race

The Boat Race is rowed on the Thames in London over the Championship Course, which starts at the University Stone on Putney Embankment and finishes just before Chiswick Bridge at Mortlake. The course is 4 miles 374 yards (6.8 km) long. The 2027 race is on Sunday 11 April 2027. For the first time the men's race goes first, at 15:40, followed by the women's race at 16:40, and 2027 is the Women's Boat Race centenary. Reserve and lightweight Boat Races were also held on the Tideway on the same day in 2026 (4 April 2026). [The Boat Race (opens in a new tab)] [The Boat Race (opens in a new tab)] [Oxford University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Cambridge University Boat Club

The rugby Varsity Match

The men's and women's rugby union Varsity Matches are played on the same day. The organisers list the next edition as Saturday 27 February 2027 at StoneX Stadium (Saracens' ground in north London). Women's kick-off is 12pm and men's is 3pm, with fun starting at 11am. The 2026 edition was also at StoneX Stadium, on Saturday 28 February 2026. [The Varsity Matches (opens in a new tab)] [OURFC (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Rugby Union Football Club

Other Varsity fixtures

Oxford's official 2025–26 Varsity results list gives a fair guide to when fixtures happen; venues often alternate, so 2027 venues may differ. In 2025–26: cross country Blues at Wimbledon Common (6 Dec 2025); athletics field and relays at Lea Valley (7 Feb 2026) and the main athletics Blues at Iffley Road, Oxford (proposed 23 May 2026); rugby league in Oxford (14 Feb 2026); winter polo at The Oaks Polo Club, Reading (15 Feb 2026); swimming, water polo and lacrosse in Oxford (28 Feb 2026); real tennis at Lord's (27–28 Feb 2026); boxing at the Corn Exchange, Cambridge (10 Mar 2026); ice hockey at Cambridge Ice Arena (14 Mar 2026); men's and women's hockey Blues at Southgate Hockey Centre (15 Mar 2026); football Blues at Grange Road, Cambridge (20 Mar 2026); and golf at Royal St George's, Sandwich (26–28 Mar 2026). Cricket Varsity includes a one-day match, a four-day match and (since 2008) Twenty20 matches, played at Fenner's or The Parks. The boxing Varsity Match is described as the longest-running inter-club amateur boxing fixture in the world. No official chess Varsity page was found. [Oxford University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Rugby League, Boxing, Ice Hockey, Polo, Swimming and Water Polo, Athletics, Football, Cricket, Real Tennis, Golf

Hockey

The men's Blues hockey Varsity is played at a neutral venue, Southgate Hockey Centre in north London, where it has been held since 2003; it is traditionally two weeks after the lower-teams fixture, typically on the second Sunday of March. The 2s/3s/4s Varsity, nicknamed BDotY ("Best Day of the Year"), is in late February and alternates between Iffley Road, Oxford and Wilberforce Road, Cambridge. In 2027 BDotY will be at Wilberforce Road, Cambridge; no exact 2027 dates are published. [OUHC (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Hockey Club

The Varsity ski trip

The Varsity Trip is the annual ski and snowboard trip "organised by, and for, Oxbridge students", founded in 1922 to support the Blues ski races between Oxford and Cambridge. It takes around 3,000 students of all levels to the Alps, and up to a third are complete beginners. The 2026 trip dates are 5–12 December 2026; the official FAQ lists 2026 transfers (outbound 5 December, inbound 12 December) to and from Val Thorens. Places go on sale in staged releases: the first release needed a £150 deposit for Varsity Trip 2026, with the balance due over three months, the second release was on 7 October, and a final release date is not published. Accommodation is allocated through the NUCO portal, which also runs airport transfers; a base price and current sold-out status are not published. [The Varsity Trip (opens in a new tab)] [The Varsity Trip (opens in a new tab)] [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Varsity Trip

The Varsity ski and snowboard races

The Cambridge University Ski and Snowboard Club (CUSSC) is the competitive side of snowsports at Cambridge, and its year centres on the Varsity Races, held on the Varsity Trip in December. CUSSC fields three men's and three women's teams against Oxford; there are four races (two slalom, two giant slalom), each team has six racers, and the top four cumulative times count. Time trials take place on the trip, and an optional Racer's Package adds race training and an extended stay before the races. The University says CUSSC's first Varsity match was in 1922, and the Varsity Trip describes the races as the oldest inter-university alpine ski races in the world. In 2025 the races were held in Val Thorens on 8–11 December 2025; 2026 race dates are not published. [Cambridge SU (opens in a new tab)] [CUSSC (opens in a new tab)] [CUSSC (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [The Varsity Trip (opens in a new tab)] [Oxford University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

On CAMsocs: Ski and Snowboarding Club

How to watch and get tickets

The Boat Race is free to watch from the riverbank; for 2026 the organisers said spectators had free access and the Fan Zones were free to enter with no tickets needed, with popular spots at Putney, Fulham (Bishops Park), Hammersmith, Chiswick Pier and Barnes (the Mortlake finish area itself was closed to the public). Paid Race Day hospitality for 2027 is on sale, with an early bird discount until 20 November. For the Varsity Match at StoneX Stadium, students get discounted tickets by entering their student ticket rep's code at checkout on the official site, groups of 10 or more get 10% off general admission, and past players contact their own club. Ticket prices for 2027 are not published. [The Boat Race (opens in a new tab)] [The Boat Race (opens in a new tab)] [The Varsity Matches (opens in a new tab)]

Sources

Each fact above links the page it comes from. These are the pages, and when they were read. Their publishers are the authority: check them for anything that matters, as dates and rules change from year to year.

  1. University Sport, sport.cam.ac.uk/student-sport/varsity-matches (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  2. Hawks' Club, hawksclub.co.uk/about/history/the-cambridge-blue (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  3. The Boat Race, theboatrace.org (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  4. The Boat Race, theboatrace.org/the-course (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  5. Oxford University Sport, sport.site.ox.ac.uk/sites/g/files/vzsiac2431/files/sport/documents/media/varsity_results_25-26.pdf (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  6. The Varsity Matches, thevarsitymatches.com (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  7. OURFC, ourfc.org/post/the-varsity-matches-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  8. University Sport, sport.cam.ac.uk/university-sports-clubs-0/cricket-club (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  9. University Sport, sport.cam.ac.uk/student-sport/university-sports-clubs/amateur-boxing-club (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  10. University Sport, sport.cam.ac.uk/news/historic-homecoming-blues-football-2026-varsity (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  11. OUHC, ouhc.co.uk/a/varsity--70218.html (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  12. The Varsity Trip, varsitytrip.com (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  13. The Varsity Trip, varsitytrip.com/faqs (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  14. Cambridge SU, cambridgesu.co.uk/organisation/varsitytrip (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  15. Cambridge SU, cambridgesu.co.uk/organisation/13171 (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  16. CUSSC, cussc.co.uk/race (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  17. CUSSC, cussc.co.uk/trips (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  18. University Sport, sport.cam.ac.uk/student-sport/university-sports-clubs/ski-and-snowboard-club (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.
  19. The Boat Race, theboatrace.org/spectator-information (opens in a new tab). Read 8 Nov 2026.

CAMsocs is an independent, unofficial project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or run by the University of Cambridge, any of its colleges or Cambridge SU. This guide sums up what those bodies publish; it is not their advice. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Use the request form or the address in the footer.