Ready. Set. Go. 2026. 

The John Molson MBA International Case Competition in Montréal, Canada, is an absolute highlight every year. The 44th edition, which took place in January 2026, brought together 30 teams from 12 nations, all working on exciting and highly relevant business cases. More than 750 people were involved in the competition overall, making this event an unforgettable experience.

The thematic diversity of the cases could hardly have been broader - ranging from a Mexican food-chain start-up in India and a digital health start-up supporting concussion recovery to an aluminium producer struggling with tariffs, decarbonization in the construction sector, and aviation training solutions. Teams advancing to the (semi-)finals additionally worked on cases focused on commercial drones and e-sports. Each case posed new strategic and analytical challenges, requiring quick comprehension, clear decision-making, and convincing presentations.

Already in December, our team - Klara Golubovic, Henrike Siegler, Timo Hermes, Daniel Schäffer, and Bennet Hentzgen - traveled to Canada, spent New Year’s Eve together in Toronto, and used the time for sightseeing and team building, laying a strong foundation for the week ahead. A few days later, our coaches, Jan-Luca Evers and Marvin Wedemeyer, met the team on site.

The week-long competition offered excellent opportunities for exchange and meaningful connections, while also being extremely intense. Our days were filled with briefings, case preparation and presentations, social events, the career fair, and the theme party and grand finale. Although Team Münster narrowly missed out on the semi-finals, we are especially proud of how much the team improved over six weeks of intensive training and from case to case throughout the competition.

Another highlight: Our alternate, Bennet, competed for Team Global and additionally supported the Kaiserslautern team during their semi-finals case after a team member fell ill - an excellent example of how the JMCC fosters a competitive yet collaborative environment. 

Finally, it was a pleasure to meet Ruth Jebing, alumna of the University of Münster and board member of the JMCC. She participated in the competition in 2005 during her Master’s studies, later helped organize the event herself, and has since been based in Montréal. It underscores the competition’s role in connecting people, institutions, and generations - and in shaping careers far beyond the event itself. 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Jan Georg Sodies, Theresa Humpe, Sebastian Grein, and Robin Wershoven from SET Management Consulting for their dedicated and continuous support, as well as their valuable feedback throughout the selection day and preparation phase.
We also thank Felix Lecher and Felix Wolter from RÖDL for the financial modelling workshop, which was a key element of our team’s preparation.

We are already looking forward to next year’s competition!