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Global Student Challenge 2026: A Recap

Celebrating the world’s top student supply chain talent after a week of strategy, collaboration, and real-world decision-making.

The Global Student Challenge (GSC) 2026 has officially concluded, bringing together 160 students, representing 39 teams from 18 countries, for five days of intense competition, collaboration, and strategic decision-making.

After qualifying through the Global Qualification Rounds, only the very best teams earned their place in the Global Final. Their mission? Lead a virtual company through one of the most challenging supply chain scenarios yet, balancing growth, profitability, service levels, and operational performance while competing for the Global Student Challenge title.

Using The Fresh Connection, the world’s leading experiential supply chain business simulation, participants stepped into the role of an executive management team, experiencing first-hand what it takes to make strategic decisions in an increasingly complex business environment.

This Year’s Challenge: Expanding in a VUCA World

This year’s Global Final challenged students to think beyond operational excellence.

Teams inherited a company preparing to expand into North Germany and North Italy, requiring them to make executive-level decisions across the entire value chain. Success depended not only on financial performance but also on aligning strategy across Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, and Purchasing while navigating uncertainty in a true VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) environment.

Throughout the competition, teams were challenged to:

• Develop a profitable market expansion strategy
• Design an international logistics network
• Balance customer service and operational efficiency
• Manage warehouse capacity and transportation decisions
• Implement dual sourcing strategies
• Align Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
• Make strategic trade-offs under pressure

Unlike traditional case competitions, there were no predetermined answers.

Every decision immediately influenced financial performance, customer satisfaction, inventory, and profitability, mirroring the realities of today’s global supply chains.

Round 1: A Strong Start

The competition began with an impressive display of strategic thinking.

Within the very first round, most teams had already transformed the company’s financial performance, demonstrating just how quickly participants adapted to the challenge.

Round 1 Highlights

• 90% of teams improved upon the starting ROI of –4.55%
• 87% achieved a positive ROI
• 41% achieved a double-digit positive ROI
• Average ROI increased from –4.55% to 7.8%

The opening round immediately showed how competitive this year’s Global Final would become.

Round 2: The Competition Tightens

Round 2 significantly increased the complexity.

With new sales regions opening, teams expanded internationally while simultaneously redesigning warehouse networks, selecting logistics partners, introducing dual sourcing, and managing increasingly complex operational decisions.

The leaderboard quickly became more competitive.

Round 2 Highlights

• 19 teams improved their ROI compared to Round 1
• 62% achieved a positive ROI
• 46% achieved a double-digit positive ROI
• Highest weighted ROI: 41.05%
• Average weighted ROI: 7.7%
• Biggest improvement: +38.89%

With the final round carrying the greatest weighting in the competition, everything was still to play for.

Round 3: Everything Changed

The final round represented the ultimate test.

Students refined their market expansion strategy, finalised warehouse footprints, selected international carriers and distributors, and made their final sourcing decisions.

Every decision carried greater weight than before.

One outstanding round could completely reshape the final rankings.

Round 3 Highlights

• 56% of teams achieved a positive double-digit weighted ROI
• 72% improved their weighted ROI compared to Round 2
• 69% finished with a positive weighted ROI
• Highest weighted ROI: 53.60%
• Average weighted ROI increased from 7.7% to 10.9%

And the Champions Are…

After three demanding rounds of strategic decision-making, the Global Student Challenge 2026 crowned its newest champions.

🥇 Champion

Fresh Conquerors

North China University of Science and Technology (China)

Fresh Conquerors delivered an exceptional performance throughout the competition, finishing with a weighted ROI of 53.60% while successfully executing an ambitious market expansion strategy.

Final Top 5

🥈 Orange Loong — North China University of Science and Technology (China)

🥉 INHA UNIV 21 — Inha University (South Korea)

4️⃣ Money Makers UP — Universidad del Pacífico (Peru)

5️⃣ Double 2K — VILAS / University of Economics (DUE), Vietnam

The final rankings were determined using a weighted scoring model based on 70% ROI and 30% contracted sales revenue, rewarding teams that successfully combined profitable growth with effective market expansion.

More Than a Competition

The Global Student Challenge is far more than a competition.

Throughout the week, students experienced what it truly means to operate as an executive leadership team. They navigated uncertainty, negotiated trade-offs, defended strategic decisions, and discovered that success depends not on individual excellence but on cross-functional alignment.

These are the same challenges faced by today’s supply chain professionals, and the same skills organisations increasingly look for in tomorrow’s leaders.

Congratulations to every student, educator, and university that made this year’s Global Final such a success. Your passion, teamwork, and dedication continue to demonstrate why experiential learning is such a powerful way to prepare students for the realities of modern business.

We look forward to welcoming the next generation of finalists in 2027.

About the Global Student Challenge

The Global Student Challenge is the world’s leading supply chain student competition, bringing together top-performing university teams from around the globe to compete in a realistic business simulation.

Students can qualify for the Global Student Challenge in two ways:

• By being among the top-performing teams in curriculum courses using The Fresh Connection, The Cool Connection, The Blue Connection, or The Triple Connection, earning a place in the Global Qualification Rounds.
• By winning or qualifying through local student challenges organized by participating universities.

The highest-performing teams then earn their place in the Global Final, where they compete for the title of Global Student Challenge Champion.

By participating, students experience what it’s like to lead a company, make strategic decisions, collaborate across business functions, and manage complex supply chains in an increasingly interconnected world.

Interested in participating?

Are you an educator interested in giving your students the opportunity to compete in the Global Student Challenge?

Discover how Inchainge’s experiential learning solutions can help prepare students for careers in supply chain management through realistic, game-based learning. Schedule a demo or speak with our team to learn more.