ECSC 2026 · Bochum, Germany
Europe’s cyber talent comes to Bochum.
From 12–16 October 2026, 42 countries and more than 400 young cybersecurity competitors meet in Bochum for the European Cybersecurity Challenge.
12-16 October
five-day ECSC week
42
countries represented
400+
competitors
~1,000
expected onsite attendance
The event
Five days. Two competition formats. One European community.
Jeopardy CTF
Tuesday, 13 October. Twelve hours of practical challenges across web, cryptography, reverse engineering, exploitation, hardware and more.
CTF-Unplugged & Networking
Wednesday, 14 October. A different format designed to combine technical challenge, interaction and networking.
Attack-Defense
Thursday, 15 October. Teams defend their own services while identifying and exploiting weaknesses in others.
Official schedule
12–16 October 2026
Times are CEST and may still change slightly. The current schedule is based on the official ECSC 2026 programme published on 15 September 2026.
Mon 12 Oct
13:00–15:45 Team Registration
RuhrCongress Bochum · Foyer
16:00–18:30 Opening Ceremony
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
18:30– Dinner & Networking
Tue 13 Oct
09:00–10:00 Setup & Testing
10:00–22:00 Jeopardy CTF
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
10:00–22:00 Jeopardy CTF
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
Wed 14 Oct
10:00–12:00 Attack-Defense Testing (optional)
13:00–18:00 CTF-Unplugged & Networking
19:00–21:00 CTF-Unplugged & Networking
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
13:00–18:00 CTF-Unplugged & Networking
19:00–21:00 CTF-Unplugged & Networking
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
Wed 15 Oct
10:00–11:00 Setup & Testing
11:00–19:00 Attack-Defense CTF
19:00– Dinner & Networking
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
11:00–19:00 Attack-Defense CTF
19:00– Dinner & Networking
RuhrCongress Bochum · Great Hall
Wed 16 Oct
10:00–12:00 Steering Committee Hotwash
RuhrCongress Bochum
14:00 Arrival for Closing
15:00–18:00 Closing Ceremony & Awards
18:00–20:00 Dinner · 20:00–02:00 Afterparty
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum
RuhrCongress Bochum
14:00 Arrival for Closing
15:00–18:00 Closing Ceremony & Awards
18:00–20:00 Dinner · 20:00–02:00 Afterparty
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum
For invited industry leaders
Come and experience the spirit.
The Executive Committee welcomes senior representatives of European industry to see the ecosystem in action. Thursday’s Attack-Defense competition and Friday’s Closing & Awards are particularly strong moments to understand the scale, energy and capability of the community.
15 October
Attack-Defense · 11:00–19:00
See the teams operate under live competitive pressure.
16 October
Closing & Awards · 15:00–18:00
Meet the community and experience the final moment of ECSC 2026.
Strategic conversation
Use the visit to explore how your organisation could become part of a long-term European partnership around cyber talent and resilience.
2026 host & supporters
Germany welcomes Europe’s cyber talent.
ECSC 2026 is organised by Nachwuchsförderung IT-Sicherheit e.V. / NFITS in Bochum, with the City of Bochum as host city partner and support from ENISA and ECCC.
Current 2026 supporter status based on the official ECSC 2026 announcement dated 21 September 2026. Event partnerships are separate from the future ECSC Association Strategic Partner Alliance.
ECSC.EU
Europe’s cyber talent & resilience ecosystem.
Public face, community layer and partnership platform for the ECSC ecosystem.
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