The world game
Apparently something else is happening as the 2027 QS World University Rankings releases.
Welcome! Today, 18 June 2026, marks an important moment for global higher education: the launch of the 2027 QS World University Rankings.
For everyone else, however, something far more important has been taking place for about a week now. If you haven’t guessed, this year, QS’ flagship ranking comes out during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As far as I can tell, this is the first time that these two events have coincided, after a narrow miss by only a few days back in 2018 for the 2019 edition of QS’ ranking.
It’s not immediately clear what a university ranking has in common with a global football competition, aside from the obvious connection to a country’s rank and position at the end of the tournament. But I’d argue there’s actually a lot more in common than we might think.
This year, I’m fortunate enough to have two countries to support – confusingly Austria and Australia, and yes, the commentators have already slipped up at least once during the former’s opening match against Jordan. Neither country, however, is expected to go deep into the tournament. Depending on which commentator you listen to, Australia isn’t expected to get past the group stage, and Austrian success is making it to the Group of 32.
Neither is expected to win the World Cup.
Or perhaps put a better way, both are expected to not win the cup.
It’s a little bit of a strange position to be in as a supporter. I want both teams to win – and perhaps even face each other in a dream match. But realistically, I know that both will crash out of the tournament, either failing to exit the group stage, or losing in the finals. So why bother to watch?
Well, there’s a lot of history there. For Australia’s Socceroos, there was a 32-year gap between appearances at the World Cup. For decades, the team came agonisingly close to qualifying, only to fall at the final hurdle. There was a belief that a curse had been placed on the Socceroos that was so strong, a former member of the team went to Mozambique to undo it.
In 2005, Australia broke its drought and hasn’t looked back since. Any Australian who was alive at the time will be able to tell you exactly where they were when John Aloisi scored that winning penalty to qualify for the 2006 World Cup.
Austria, meanwhile, has struggled for the past few decades. It’s last appearance at the World Cup was 1998, despite an otherwise strong history in the tournament, including placing third in 1954 in a match that would produce the highest number of goals of a World Cup to date – 12, in a seven to five win over Switzerland.
Just qualifying in and of itself if a significant achievement. Just ask those from Jordan, who’s team just played their first ever World Cup match.
There are plenty of other achievements along the way. Ask Ali Olwan, who cemented his name in Jordanian football history as the country’s first player to score a World Cup goal. Ask Nestory Irankunda, who just became Australia’s youngest male player to score in a World Cup. Ask Marko Arnautović, who just became Austria’s oldest ever player at a World Cup.
Most universities aren’t expected to top the QS World University Rankings.
Or perhaps put a better way, most universities are expected to not top to the rankings.
But, there’s a lot of history there.
In 2027 QS World University Rankings edition of QS Insights, we seek to unpack some of that history as well as uncover the other achievements along the way. Our supplement, “How to read the world” uses the ranking to better understand and contextualise the performance of higher education systems around the world. There is some good, there is some bad, but what we hope this edition will do is provide a better understanding both of how decisions impact the rankings and how the rankings can tell us things about the world around us.
Former Liverpool Manager, Bill Shankly, famously once said, “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” Rankings are not more serious than life and death, nor are they that much more serious than football. But, they do allow us, like football, to celebrate for a moment, to understand ourselves a little better, and to set goals for the future.
Stay insightful.
Anton is Editor in Chief of QS Insights. He has been writing on the international higher ed sector for over a decade. His recognitions include the Universities Australia Higher Education Journalist of the Year at the National Press Club of Australia, and the International Education Association of Australia award for Excellence in Professional Commentary.