The draw for the 2026 European Championships is here! The path to the continental titles is now ready for Europe’s top badminton players.
With the event hosted at the Carolina Marín Sports Palace, the spotlight is on the Spanish star whose name the venue carries. Carolina Marín returns to competition on home soil – one of the most exciting storylines in this year’s edition.
Marín makes her big comeback on home soil
Top players have received byes into the second round, meaning Marín will first be playing on Wednesday. The Spaniard will open her tournament against either Jelena Buchberger or Milena Schnider dependent of who succeeds in the opening round.
Competing in the venue that bears her name adds an extra emotional layer to the week. The seven-time European champion will be hoping the home crowd can lift her in her comeback with their cheers.
Spanish chances across the board
Spain will have several players to follow closely. In men’s singles, Pablo Abian faces a tough opening match against Rasmus Gemke, fifth seed. The experienced Spaniard will give one of his trademark fighting performances to challenge the Dane, who enters the tournament as one of the favorites.
Women’s singles will also have Spanish representation with Clara Azurmendi, the nation’s top player in her discipline. In mixed doubles, Ruben Garcia/Lucia Rodriguez will be also aiming to seize the moment on home soil.
Men’s singles, a strong field
The men’s singles draw features Europe’s biggest names. Anders Antonsen, the top seed, starts his tournament in the second round and sits at the top of a stacked half of the draw.
Defending champion Alex Lanier also begins later in the week after receiving a bye. With many experienced players and rising talents ready to compete, men’s singles promises top-class clashes from the early rounds.
Exciting contenders in all the events
The women’s singles draw also features strong contenders including fourth seed Neslihan Arin and fifth seed Kirsty Gilmour, both positioned in a way that could lead to an intriguing semifinal encounter.
In the doubles events, Europe’s leading pairs will also battle for titles – Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen with a potential meeting in the semifinals against Christo Popov/Toma Junior Popov. Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva are eyeing yet another title but first they’d have to get past Julie Macpherson/Ciara Torrance or Polina Buhrova/Yevheniia Kantemyr before even making it to the finals. In mixed doubles Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue and Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Bøje entered as number one and number two seeds respectively.
