In 8 days, the action kicks off in Huelva, Spain, as the 2026 European Championships begin, running from April 6–12.

It is not the first time the European Championships are held in the southern Spanish city. Back in 2018, the tournament was also hosted in Huelva. That year’s winners were Viktor Axelsen, Carolina Marín, Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, Gabriela Stoeva / Stefani Stoeva, and Chris Adcock / Gabrielle Adcock.

Of the 2018 champions, Chris and Gabrielle Adcock have since retired. Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Gabriela / Stefani Stoeva remain top seeds in men’s and women’s doubles respectively, even eight years later.

Viktor Axelsen will not be competing due to a back injury that has troubled him since his Olympic triumph in Paris. At those same Olympic Games, Carolina Marín suffered a serious knee injury that has kept her out of badminton ever since. She was set to make her long-awaited comeback in her hometown of Huelva, but on Thursday she announced her retirement with imidiate effect due to her knee problems.

When the 2026 European Championships get underway on Monday, April 6, a total of 218 athletes from 33 different European nations will compete.
In total, 159 matches will be played before the new European champions are crowned on Sunday, April 12.

The first European Championships were held in Bochum in 1968, in what was then West Germany. Since then, the tournament has developed significantly, and this year marks the 32nd edition of the Championships, once again hosted in Huelva.

The most experienced player at this year’s Championships is Pablo Abián, who was born in 1985 and turns 41 in June. The 2026 edition also marks 20 years since he played his first European Championships back in 2006. When Abián steps onto the court in Huelva, it will be his 12th appearance at the event. His best results are quarterfinal finishes in 2008 and 2016.

Last year, Alex Lanier broke Peter Gade’s record for being the youngest men’s singles player to win a European Championships title, doing so at just 20 years and 77 days old.

The record for most titles of all time belongs to Gillian Gilks, whose achievement will be difficult to surpass. She won 12 European Championship gold medals between 1972 and 1986, across women’s singles (2), women’s doubles (4), and mixed doubles (6).

Now that Carolina Marín will no longer be competing in Huelva, the Stoeva sisters are instead the most successful active players at the European Championships. The sisters have won four European Championship titles as well as one European Games gold medal.

It will be exciting to see who this year will write their name into the European history books.

All matches can be watched live and free on Badminton Europe TV.