Tournament Of Champions
Bring together the best of the World Scholar’s Cup with one of the leading universities in the world, and you’ll discover our annual Tournament of Champions, hosted by the Yale International Relations Association at Yale University.
When Will It Take Place?
The 2024 Tournament of Champions is scheduled for November 14-20. Check-in is scheduled for Nov 13 in the afternoon. The opening ceremony for the Junior Division is scheduled for Nov 14 in the morning and the awards ceremony for Nov 19 in the evening. For the Senior Division, the opening ceremony is schedule for Nov 15 in the morning. The awards ceremony and Scholar's Ball are scheduled for Nov 20. A detailed schedule will be uploaded soon.
Who Can Attend?
All three scholars on each Tournament of Champions team must have qualified at a 2024 Global Round, and each team must have at least two scholars who qualified as teammates. The third scholar on a team may be a substitute who also qualified at a Global Round but whose teammates are not participating.
What to Expect?
The Tournament of Champions is more than just another Global Round. You’ll have the chance to interact with and learn directly from Yale students and faculty. You’ll attend a special panel on college life and on how to leverage your World Scholar’s Cup experience as part of your admissions portfolio. You’ll eat Yale dining hall food. You’ll meet our keynote speakers, including a Yale University professor. And you’ll come away knowing what it’s like to be a student at one of the world’s greatest universities.
Due to venue restrictions, access to theaters and other venues will be restricted to scholars and a limited number of registered adults per delegation. Only judges and participants will be allowed inside buildings used for debate.
More Highlights
You can also look forward to the Yale Ball, where you can dance (or not dance) with your fellow scholars from over fifty countries, a special Thanksgiving-ish meal (which may actually be Tex-Mex), and beautiful historic venues for the Scholar’s Bowl, Debate Showcase, and Scholar’s Show - the Shubert Theatre and Yale's own Woolsey Hall.
Pwaa in Real Life
During a scavenger hunt that will take you to every corner of Yale’s campus and the surrounding community, you’ll encounter real alpacas, too, including our very own Painted Warrior—the official alpaca of the Tournament of Champions. He's 15, so it's a good thing you're meeting him soon.
Capacity Information
Due to venue constraints, the Tournament of Champions can accommodate only a limited number of teams per division. Once we reach capacity, we will not be able to accept further registrations. Please be sure to register your teams and make travel plans simultaneously; delegations that book flights but plan to register later may find that there's no space left for them.
Theme Information
Participants at the Tournament of Champions will continue to explore the complete 2024 guiding questions. Take note: questions and motions may also draw from more recent news events and other developments relevant to the guiding questions.
Intent to Participate Form
To help ensure that the ToC experience is equally available to participants across all global rounds, we require qualifying teams who wish to participate at the ToC to complete a non-binding intent to participate form within 30 days of receiving their qualification letter. Qualifying teams who did not complete this form within this window will only be accommodated as space permits.
We also encourage all delegations to complete the full registration form as soon as possible to secure their spots.
Recommended Hotels
Hotels Within Walking Distance
Omni New Haven HotelUSD 217 + taxes for single and double rooms. USD 237 + taxes for triple rooms.
Breakfast is not included and costs USD 25 per person per day.. The hotel is running a waitlist.
Downloads: Reservation form | Rooming List Template | Breakfast Registration | Credit card authorization form.
New Haven HotelUSD 224 + taxes per night for rooms with a king bed and USD 239 + taxes per night for rooms with two queen beds. Breakfast included.
Cambria HotelUSD 244 + taxes per night for rooms with two queen beds. Breakfast not included.
Booking Link
Hotels With Paid Shuttle Bus Service
Hilton Garden Inn, MilfordUSD 169 + taxes per night for single or double rooms. USD 189 + taxes per night for triple or quad rooms. Rates include breakfast.
Please email the Director of Sales, Natalie Calabrese at [email protected] or Lauren Moyihan at [email protected] to reserve rooms.
Hyatt Place, MilfordUSD 162 (average rate) + taxes per night including breakfast.
Booking link
Springhill Suites, Milford
USD 169 + taxes per night for king rooms and USD 179 plus taxes for rooms with two double beds. Breakfast included.
Booking link
If you need assistance, please contact Evita McPherson, sales manager, at [email protected]
Hilton Garden Inn, Shelton
From USD 164 + taxes per night including breakfast.
Booking Link
Hyatt House, SheltonFrom USD 159 + taxes per night Booking Link
Courtyard by Marriott, Shelton
USD 169 + taxes per night including continental breakfast.
Booking Link
Hampton Inn, Shelton
USD 159 + taxes per night. Breakfast included.
Booking Link
Hotels With Easy Public Transportation
New Haven Village Suites
From $185 + taxes per night for studio king rooms
Please book on www.newhavenvillagesuites.com. After the dates are submitted there will be a link to add a “special code”. Please select Group code and enter the code 2411WORLDS to get the special rate.
Ground Transportation
An optional shuttle will be available from official hotels in Milford and Shelton. Seats can be reserved for a fee of USD 130 per person for the duration of the event.
Shuttle bus reservations are now closed. The last date to reserve seats on the shuttle buses was November 1st
Airports and Airport Transfers
We recommend flying into any New York area airport or directly into New Haven. For delegations looking for airport-to-Yale transfers, we recommend Go Airport Shuttle, Connecticut. Reservations can be made on their website 2theairport.com. Yale University also outlines other transportation options here.
Optional Tours
Optional tours of Boston will be offered on Nov 14 and Nov 19 for the Senior Division, and Nov 15 and Nov 20 for the Junior Division. Participants can opt for one of the dates. The cost will be USD 200 per person.
The last date to reserve seats for the tour was October 20th and bookings are now closed.
Visas
Please contact us if you need an invitation letter for visa purposes. The correct category of visa to travel to the United States for participating in the event is B1/B2 (tourist/business).
Climate
You might need gloves, especially at night: it’s New England in November. Then again, it's really only the third week of November, so maybe you don't need your snowshoes. We'll find out together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about registration, invitation letters, shuttle buses, or tours? Visit our FAQ page!
We’re incredibly grateful to our hosts at the Yale International Relations Association (and to our long-time friend Denise at the Stone Bridge Alpaca Farm) for making possible this special culminating event of the World Scholar’s Cup season, now in its thirteenth year.
