AUC hosts African University Games opener in New Cairo
A major week for New Cairo starts at AUC on 9 September
New Cairo gets one of its biggest student-sport moments of the year on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, when the 12th All-Africa University Games begin across Cairo, with a major share of the programme staged at The American University in Cairo (AUC) in the Fifth Settlement. For local residents, students and visiting families, this is not just a sports story: it is a genuine New Cairo event, one that brings continental competition directly into the AUC Sports Complex and puts the district’s café-and-dinner scene into play before and after matches.
AUC has confirmed that the Games run in Cairo from 8 to 16 September 2026, and that its New Cairo campus is hosting 10 of the 21 sports: basketball, track and field, tennis, padel tennis, squash, modern pentathlon, fencing, futsal, volleyball and swimming. The university says it enters the tournament as the two-time defending continental champion after topping the 2022 edition in Kenya and the 2024 edition in Nigeria. AUC also says the wider event brings together about 2,000 student-athletes from 59 universities representing 16 to 17 African countries, with para-athletes taking part for the first time. AUC President Ahmad Dallal and athletics chief Sharif El Erian have both publicly framed the event as a landmark for Egyptian university sport. AUC’s official Instagram is @auc_egypt.
What is happening at AUC on opening day?
According to Egypt’s State Information Service and Ahram Online’s report on the official schedule, opening-day competition on Wednesday, 9 September at AUC’s Fifth Settlement campus includes squash, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball and men’s basketball. Those are the headline spectator events for anyone planning to spend the first day on campus or nearby. The same official programme notes that other sports on day one are split across additional venues in Greater Cairo, but the New Cairo spotlight is clearly on AUC.
That matters locally because AUC is not acting as a symbolic host. Its sports infrastructure includes the AUC Sports Center, the ARTOC Central Athletic Court, outdoor athletic fields and courts, the swimming pool, and the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Football and Track Stadium. AUC’s campus map and athletics pages place the sports venues squarely within its walkable New Cairo campus, making it one of the easier big-event sites in the area to navigate once you are inside.
Where to watch the opening-day basketball, volleyball and squash
1) Start at the AUC Sports Center
The most practical first stop is the AUC Sports Center, which AUC lists as the hub for the public event around the Games. The university’s event page gives the location as AUC Avenue, New Cairo, 11835, and lists the Games programming window from 8:00 am onward on 9 September. If you are heading in specifically for basketball, volleyball or squash, this is the logical arrival point before checking the latest on-site signage and staff directions.
2) Use Gate 1 if you are arriving by car
For visitors, AUC’s campus tour and directions page says parking is available from Gate 1, the Visitor’s Gate. That is useful on a busy competition day, especially for local spectators driving in from South 90, Road 90, Katameya or Rehab. Bring your national ID or passport, which AUC says visitors should have when accessing campus.
3) Expect squash and court sports to be spread across dedicated facilities
AUC’s published facilities list shows a multipurpose sports center and six squash courts, so opening-day action is likely to be split by sport rather than concentrated in one single bowl. In practical terms, basketball and volleyball are the easiest bets for spectators wanting the classic arena feel, while squash is the best option for viewers who prefer faster turnover between matches and a closer view of play.
What to know before you go
- Date: Wednesday, 9 September 2026
- Main New Cairo venue: AUC Sports Center, AUC New Cairo campus, Fifth Settlement
- Opening-day AUC sports named in the official schedule: squash, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball
- Campus entry tip: use Gate 1/Visitor’s Gate for parking
- Best approach: arrive early, especially if you want to move between more than one sport
Best coffee stops near AUC before or after the matches
30 North inside AUC
If convenience matters more than a long detour, the easiest coffee stop is actually on campus. AUC’s dining page lists 30 North - Library Terrace and says it operates in New Cairo from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm on working days, while 30 North - Innovation Hub is also listed from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm. For spectators trying to catch a morning basketball or squash session, that makes 30 North the smartest first caffeine stop without leaving campus.
Point 90 Mall for a quick post-game coffee
If you want to leave campus and stay close, Point 90 Mall remains one of the simplest options near AUC. Recent restaurant listings around the mall show recognisable café names including PAUL Bakery & Restaurant and Espresso Lab. For groups meeting after matches, Point 90 works well because it combines cafés, casual dining and cinema traffic in one familiar New Cairo stop. PAUL’s official Instagram handle was not verified here, so it is best mentioned simply by name.
Best nearby dinner stops in New Cairo
PAUL Bakery & Restaurant at Point 90
For an easy, reliable sit-down meal after the evening fixtures, PAUL Bakery & Restaurant at Point 90 is one of the most visible nearby options in current restaurant listings. It suits mixed groups because the menu style is broad enough for salads, sandwiches, bakery items and fuller mains, which is useful when one person wants dessert and another wants dinner.
One Oak at Point 90
Also appearing in current Point 90 restaurant listings is One Oak, positioned as a stronger choice when your post-match plan is more dinner than coffee. If you are watching the late basketball sessions and want somewhere that feels more like a proper evening stop than a café, this is one of the clearer nearby options surfaced in current listings.
Waterway-side dinner if you want to extend the night
For readers who prefer making a night of it, restaurant listings around the Waterway 2 area continue to show it as one of New Cairo’s most practical dining clusters after an event at AUC. It is a better fit for a slower dinner than a quick bite, especially if you are meeting friends from outside campus and do not need to rush back.
Why this matters for Fifth Settlement
The strongest angle here is local: the African University Games are a continent-wide event, but on 9 September they become a very specific Fifth Settlement day out. AUC is hosting the sport, the crowds and part of the ceremony energy after already staging the torch-relay arrival on campus on 1 September 2026. For New Cairo readers, that means the day is not only about who wins women’s volleyball or the first men’s basketball games. It is also about knowing how to move through the district well: enter through Gate 1, watch the action at the sports center, grab coffee at 30 North, and keep Point 90 or Waterway 2 in your back pocket for dinner.
If you are planning one local outing this week that feels bigger than the usual mall-and-café circuit, this is it: a real continental tournament, on a real New Cairo campus, with enough nearby food options to turn the opening day into a full Fifth Settlement plan.