Football was an optional sport at the 1979 edition and two of the optional sports at the 1985 edition of the Universiade.

Between 1987 and 2019, it was a recognized mandatory sport.

The women's football competition began in the 1993 edition as an optional event.

Due to the creation of the FISU University Football World Cup in 2019, the sport is no longer part of the Summer World University Games program, as of that year.

[1][2] With this change, the number of mandatory sports was kept at 15, since the place was occupied by badminton, which, after five editions as an optional sport, became compulsory.