The Virtual University of Pakistan has opened regional sports trials for its students in Multan, Lahore and Karachi, giving thousands of distance learners a rare chance to meet on the field and earn a place in the university’s teams. The trials began in Multan on Wednesday, November 12, and run until November 17, 2026, with the schedule for Islamabad still to be announced. For a university whose students mostly study from home, the week is about more than sport. It is one of the few occasions in the year when classmates from different cities gather in the same place and compete together.
The announcement carries extra weight because of the kind of university VU is. Set up by the Government of Pakistan in 2002, it was the country’s first university built entirely around modern information and communication technology, and its degrees are recognised by the Higher Education Commission. Today more than 165,000 students are enrolled, supported by a network of more than 200 campuses in over 125 cities. Most of those students never sit in a lecture hall together. Their campuses exist mainly for examinations and administrative help, not daily campus life. So a trial is not only a selection exercise but a meeting point for a student body spread across the whole country.
The sports on offer
Twelve sports are on the list, covering the games that dominate Pakistani university sport as well as quieter contests that often get less attention. Cricket, football and hockey sit alongside basketball, volleyball and athletics, while the indoor programme includes badminton, table tennis and weightlifting. Chess and tug of war are there too, and cycling rounds out a list that gives almost every kind of athlete a reason to turn up. Students can take part in the sport they prefer, and each city will run trials across the whole list. The range is deliberate. A university that draws students from every province cannot rely on one or two popular games to find its best players, and the mix of team games, individual events and mind sports reflects a student population that is itself very mixed. Cricket and football will draw the biggest crowds.
When and where the trials will be held
Each city follows its own timetable, and students need to check carefully which day covers their sport. Multan went first, with all trials on a single day, November 12, at the Bahauddin Zakariya University Sports Complex. Lahore follows with two days at the University of Punjab Sports Complex. Outdoor sports take place on Thursday, November 13, with cricket, hockey, athletics, tug of war, volleyball, cycling and football all on the schedule, while the indoor programme moves to Friday, November 14, with badminton, table tennis, chess, basketball and weightlifting. Karachi closes the schedule with two days, November 16 and 17, in the reverse order. The first Karachi day, November 16, covers badminton, table tennis, chess, volleyball, basketball and weightlifting, while the second day, November 17, is given over to cricket, hockey, athletics, tug of war, cycling and football. The Karachi venue has not yet been confirmed, so students planning to attend should check the university’s official channels for an updated location before they travel. The position is the same for Islamabad, where neither the dates nor the venue have been announced yet.
Who can take part
The trials are open to enrolled Virtual University students, but there are age limits that differ by level of study. Students in BS programmes must be 25 years old or younger, while students in MS and MPhil programmes must be 27 or younger. Beyond age, there is one requirement that applies to everyone. Every participant must carry a valid Virtual University student card, and the university has made it clear that students will not be allowed into the trial venues without one.
How to register on the day
There is no advance booking. Registration is walk-in, at the venue on the morning of each trial day. Students must report at 8:30 in the morning, and the university will not accept registrations after 9:30. That one-hour window is the only chance to sign in, so arriving late means missing out entirely. Students should bring their VU student cards with them, and they would be wise to arrive early rather than cutting it close.
The trials will be judged in the end by what comes out of them. The immediate test is practical: whether the Karachi venue is confirmed in good time and the Islamabad dates follow soon after. The deeper test is whether a university built for distance learning can build sporting teams that last. If the trials find strong players across all twelve sports, VU will have squads to represent it, and a shared experience for a student body that online lectures cannot give them. For the students who turn up this week, though, the calculation is simpler. A morning at the sports complex, a student card in hand, and a chance to show what they can do.
