The 2026 European Athletics Championships are held from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 August at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham. The championships bring together more than 1,500 elite athletes from over 50 European federations across seven days of track and field competition, marking the first time the United Kingdom has hosted the event.
What are the European Athletics Championships?
The European Athletics Championships are the continental championship of European Athletics, the governing body for track and field in Europe. They are held every two years and feature a full programme of sprints, middle and long distance events, hurdles, jumps, throws, combined events and race walks, with medals awarded in each. The 2026 edition in Birmingham is the 27th championships since the event was first held in Turin in 1934.
European athletes use the championships both as a standalone continental title and as a key selection pathway. With no Olympic Games in 2026 and the World Athletics Championships staged in Beijing in September, the European title is the major summer objective for most of the continent’s leading athletes.
When are the European Athletics Championships?
The 2026 championships run from Monday 10 August to Sunday 16 August 2026, a seven-day programme. Morning sessions typically start at 10:00am British Summer Time and feature qualifying rounds, while the flagship evening sessions start at 7:00pm and contain the finals and semi-finals of the biggest events. The final session on Sunday 16 August traditionally closes with the men’s and women’s 4x100m relays.
Where are the European Athletics Championships?
The championships are held at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham. The stadium was rebuilt for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, when it served as the main venue for athletics and for the opening and closing ceremonies. For the 2026 championships it will have a capacity of more than 30,000 after the addition of temporary seating. This is the first time a British city has hosted the European Athletics Championships and the largest UK athletics event in history.
Key Contenders
Great Britain enters the championships as the home team and is expected to field a strong squad across sprints, middle distance and field events. Dina Asher-Smith, Keely Hodgkinson, Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman are among the British athletes expected to contend for medals if fit. Italy’s Marcell Jacobs, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis and Germany’s Malaika Mihambo are among the headline European names likely to defend or seek continental titles across the week.
Athletics rivalries defined by the Diamond League circuit earlier in the year will carry into Birmingham, and the championships often produce fast times as athletes peak for the week.
How to Watch
In the United Kingdom, the 2026 European Athletics Championships are broadcast live and free-to-air on BBC Sport, with coverage across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. In Europe, the championships are distributed via the European Broadcasting Union, with live coverage on Eurosport and Discovery+ across the continent. Individual public broadcasters including ARD and ZDF in Germany, France Televisions in France and RAI in Italy will also carry the event. Outside Europe, the championships are typically available on FloTrack in the United States and through the European Athletics YouTube channel.
History and Records
The European Athletics Championships were first held in 1934 in Turin and for many decades rotated on a four-year cycle before moving to biennial hosting from 2010. Munich 2022 produced several championship records and was part of the multi-sport European Championships. Rome hosted the 2024 edition. European Athletics has a long history of record-breaking performances, including some of Sergey Bubka’s pole vault feats and a series of long-standing women’s track records.
Birmingham 2026 will be remembered as the first time the championships have been held in the United Kingdom and will add a new chapter to the event’s history.
Tickets and Attendance
Tickets are sold via the official Birmingham 2026 website at tickets.birmingham26.com. Prices are banded by session, with morning sessions priced lower than evening sessions and premium seating available for the finals. Additional seating was added in the months before the championships to meet demand. Family packages and concession prices for under-18s and seniors are also offered.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the 2026 European Athletics Championships start?
The championships begin on Monday 10 August and finish on Sunday 16 August 2026.
Where are the European Athletics Championships being held?
At the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
How can I watch the 2026 European Athletics Championships?
Live and free on BBC Sport in the UK, on Eurosport and Discovery+ across Europe, and on public broadcasters in Germany, France, Italy and elsewhere.
Who won the 2024 European Athletics Championships?
Italy topped the medal table in 2024 in Rome, with Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands among the other leading nations.