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The UH-POP team from the University of Havana won the Caribbean regional final of the ICPC, securing their place in the Latin American competition that will be held in Chile in 2026.
The UH announced on its official Facebook profile that its Faculty of Mathematics and Computing qualified five teams among the top eight places in the Caribbean Regional Final of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), held on November 8 at the University of Computer Sciences (UCI).
The UH-POP team secured first place in the Caribbean and 33rd across all of Latin America, ensuring their qualification for the PDA superregional, which will take place in Chile in 2026.
The group consists of John Mauris López Ramos (C3), Ernesto Abreu Peraza (C4), and Eduardo Brito Labrada (C4).
The competition featured 51 teams from the Caribbean and 558 from across Latin America, solidifying the event as one of the most prestigious in the continent's university scene.
Other Cuban groups also stood out, such as ACXioma from the Central University Marta Abreu of Las Villas (UCLV), which secured second place, and Yo elijo a Bulbasaur from the Faculty of Physics at UH, which achieved third place.
The publication from the University of Havana highlighted the talent of the students who represented the institution in this competition.
In October, the laboratories of the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Havana hosted the beginning of the qualifying stage for the ICPC, which marked the start of the competitive cycle for 2025–2026.
The information was announced by the University of Havana itself through a post on its official Facebook account, where it celebrated the enthusiasm and preparation of its students, highlighting that "the passion for programming" has once again filled the faculty's laboratories.
The ICPC brings together hundreds of university teams from around the world every year, competing in challenges of logic, algorithms, and problem-solving for a spot in the grand international final scheduled for 2026.
In this qualifying stage, students from various Cuban universities tested their talent against the clock and the complexity of the challenges presented, aiming to secure a spot in the upcoming Caribbean Final, the prelude to the global competition.
The publication highlighted the cooperative atmosphere, strategic approach, and high academic standards, as well as the commitment of the island's future engineers and programmers to technological excellence.
In 2024, the group received a special spot for the Caribbean final of the ICPC, a recognition awarded for their sustained performance and their achievements in previous competitions.
In previous editions, such as in 2021, Cuba ranked among the top ten in Latin America within the ICPC circuit, a feat achieved through the collaborative efforts of students and mentors from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Havana. That performance was considered a milestone for the country, competing against prestigious universities across the continent.
Since 2018, when Cuban teams began to systematically participate in the competition, interest in competitive programming has increased among university students.
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