European Men's Baseball Championship

Baseball European Championship
Most recent season or competition:; 2025 European Baseball Championship
Sport	Baseball
First season	1954
No. of teams	16
Confederation	WBSC Europe
Most recent; champion	Netherlands ; (2025)
Most titles	Netherlands (25 titles)
Official website	WBSCEurope.com

The European Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between men's national baseball teams in Europe, governed by WBSC Europe (formerly the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB)).^[1]

History

Italy won the inaugural European Baseball Championship in 1954, organized shortly after the CEB was formed. The Netherlands won the first tournament they competed in, 1956, and the competition has since been dominated by the Dutch and Italians, with Spain, with two titles, and Belgium being the only other teams to win a championship.

After being an annual competition for five years, it was held every two years.^[2] There have been several adjustments to this schedule.^[3] Most recently, following a three-year gap after the 2016 championship, the tournament has been held in odd-numbered years beginning in 2019. The 2025 competition was the 38th European championship held. There have been at least 4 teams in each championship, with the field growing to 12 teams in 1997 and 16 teams in 2021.

The European championship has served as a qualifying tournament for the Summer Olympics.^[4]^[5] Tournament games are also included in World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, which determine participation in the WBSC Premier12.^[6]^[7]

Format and qualification

The current championship classification system divides the national teams into three pools, A, B, and C.

Teams in Pool A and B play in the championship, with teams from A pool playing in two groups where the top two teams proceed to the quarter finals directly and the bottom two teams play in the crossover qualifiers. The teams from pool B play in two groups, with the winners proceeding to the crossover qualifiers and the bottom two teams eliminated. The top four teams from the crossover qualifiers join the top two teams from each A pool group in the quarter finals.

The last two teams from the championship are relegated to pool C that plays the qualifier competition held in the years between the top championship, while the two best teams at that competition will move up to B pool.^[8]

Current pools

As of the end of the 2025 tournament.

Pool A	Pool B	Pool C
Netherlands Italy Czech Republic Spain Germany Great Britain Israel Croatia	Austria Sweden Switzerland France Belgium Greece pending qualifier results in 2026 pending qualifier results in 2026	Hungary^ Lithuania^ Bulgaria Finland Ireland Norway Poland Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine

^ - Relegated to European Qualifier during 2025 championship

Results

#	Year	Final Host	Winner	Runner-up	Third Place	Fourth Place	Teams
#	Year	Final Host	Final		Semifinalists		Teams
1	1954 Details	Antwerp	Italy	Spain	Belgium	West Germany	4
2	1955 Details	Barcelona	Spain	Belgium	West Germany	Italy	5
3	1956 Details	Rome	Netherlands	Belgium	Italy	Spain	5
4	1957 Details	Mannheim	Netherlands	West Germany	Italy	Spain	5
5	1958 Details	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Italy	West Germany	Belgium	6
6	1960 Details	Barcelona	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Sweden	4
7	1962 Details	Amsterdam	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Belgium	7
8	1964 Details	Milan	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Sweden	5
9	1965 Details	Madrid	Netherlands	Italy	West Germany	Spain	5
10	1967 Details	Antwerp	Belgium	Great Britain	West Germany	Spain	5
11	1969 Details	Wiesbaden	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	West Germany	7
12	1971 Details	Parma / Bologna	Netherlands	Italy	West Germany	Belgium	9
13	1973 Details	Haarlem	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Belgium	6
14	1975 Details	Barcelona	Italy	Netherlands	West Germany	Spain	6
15	1977 Details	Haarlem	Italy	Netherlands	Belgium	Spain	5
16	1979 Details	Trieste	Italy	Netherlands	Belgium	Sweden	4
17	1981 Details	Haarlem	Netherlands	Italy	Sweden	Belgium	4
18	1983 Details	Florence	Italy	Netherlands	Belgium	Spain	6
19	1985 Details	Haarlem / Eindhoven	Netherlands	Italy	Belgium	Sweden	6
20	1987 Details	Barcelona	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Belgium	7
21	1989 Details	Paris	Italy	Netherlands	Spain	Sweden	8
22	1991 Details	Nettuno	Italy	Netherlands	Spain	France	8
23	1993 Details	Stockholm	Netherlands	Italy	Sweden	France	8
24	1995 Details	Haarlem	Netherlands	Italy	Belgium	Spain	10
25	1997 Details	Paris	Italy	Netherlands	Spain	Russia	12
26	1999 Details	Bologna / Parma	Netherlands	Italy	France	Russia	12
27	2001 Details	Bonn	Netherlands	Russia	Italy	France	12
28	2003 Details	Haarlem / Amsterdam / Rotterdam	Netherlands	Greece	Spain	Sweden	12
29	2005 Details	Prague	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Germany	12
30	2007 Details	Barcelona	Netherlands	Great Britain	Spain	Germany	12
31	2010 Details	Stuttgart	Italy	Netherlands	Germany	Greece	12
32	2012 Details	Rotterdam	Italy	Netherlands	Spain	Germany	12
33	2014 Details	/ Regensburg / Brno	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Czech Republic	12
34	2016 Details	Hoofddorp	Netherlands	Spain	Italy	Germany	12
35	2019 Details	Bonn / Solingen	Netherlands	Italy	Spain	Israel	12
36	2021 Details	Piedmont	Netherlands	Israel	Italy	Spain	16
37	2023 Details	Prague/Brno/Třebíč/Ostrava/Blansko	Spain	Great Britain	Netherlands	Germany	16
38	2025 Details	// Rotterdam/Antwerp/Milan	Netherlands	Italy	Czech Republic	Spain	16
39	2027 Details	Regensburg

Sources^[2]^[9]^[10]

Medals (1954–2025)


Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Netherlands	25	9	1	35
2	Italy	10	18	5	33
3	Spain	2	2	15	19
4	Belgium	1	2	6	9
5	Great Britain	0	3	0	3
6	Germany	0	1	7	8
7	Greece	0	1	0	1
	Israel	0	1	0	1
	Russia	0	1	0	1
10	Sweden	0	0	2	2
11	Czech Republic	0	0	1	1
11	France	0	0	1	1
Totals (12 entries)		38	38	38	114

Participating nations

Nation	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1960	1962	1964	1965	1967	1969	1971	1973	1975	1977	1979	1981	1983	1985	1987	1989	1991	1993	1995	1997	1999	2001	2003	2005	2007	2010	2012	2014	2016	2019	2021	2023	2025	Total
Austria																														11					10	11	15	9	5
Belgium				5	4		4				5	4	4				4			4	6	5	6		6	6	9	11			10	9	7	6	7	8	11	13	32
Croatia																										11	8	10	12	8	11	10	12	10	11	7	10	8	13
Czech Republic																									7	8	5	6	5	12	7	5	4	5	5	5	5		14
France		5			6		6	5			7	9	6	6				6		6	5	4	4	5	5		4	7	6	5	6	8	6	7	7	15	7	12	28
Germany	4		5				5				4									7	8		7	6	10	10	7	12	4	4		4	5	4	6	9	4	5	29
Great Britain												7									7	8			9	9	10	9	7		8	11	9	9	9	6		6	18
Greece																													9		4	7	10	11		14	13	13	9
Hungary																																					16	15	2
Israel																																			4		6	7	4
Italy		4																										5		7							9		37
Lithuania																																						15	1
Netherlands																																							35
Russia																							8	8	4	4		8	11	10		12	8	12		10			12
San Marino												5							6																				2
Slovakia																																				16			1
Slovenia																								10	12	12													3
Soviet Union																						6																	1
Spain			4	4	5				4	4		6		4	4			4	5				5	4		5	6				9					4		4	36
Sweden						4	7	4	5	5	6	8	5	5	5	4		5	4	5	4	7		7	8	7	12	4	8	6	5	6	11	8	12	12	8	10	33
Switzerland																																					12	11	2
Ukraine																								9	11		11		10	9	12					13	14		8
Nations (21)	4	5	5	5	6	4	7	5	5	5	7	9	6	6	5	4	4	6	6	7	8	8	8	10	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	12	16	16	16

Most valuable player

The tournament has regularly issued awards for the most valuable player, best pitcher, batting statistical leaders, and occasionally an All-Star team. Three Dutch players, Hamilton Richardson [nl], Marcel Joost [nl], and Johnny Balentina, have won multiple MVPs, with Balentina most recently repeating in 1995 and 1997.^[2]

Tournament most valuable players
Year	Name	Team	Ref
1955	José Luis Bernardo	Spain	^[11]
1962	Leo Kops	Netherlands	^[12]
1964	Boudewijn Maat [nl]		^[2]
1965	Hamilton Richardson [nl]
1967	Roland Hoffmann [de]	West Germany
1969	Hamilton Richardson	Netherlands	^[13]
1973	Hamilton Richardson		^[2]
1975	Charles Urbanus Jr. [nl]		^[14]
1977	Ted Alfieri	Italy	^[2]
1979	David DeMarco	Italy
1981	Paul Smit	Netherlands
1985	Marcel Joost [nl]
1987	Rikkert Faneyte
1989	Robert Niggebrugge
1991	Guglielmo Trinci	Italy
1993	Marcel Joost	Netherlands
1995	Johnny Balentina	Netherlands
1997	Johnny Balentina	Netherlands
1999	Daniel Newman	Italy	^[15]
2001	Rinat Makhmoutov	Russia	^[16]
2003	Xavier Civit	Spain	^[2]
2005	Ivanon Coffie	Netherlands
2007	Brant Ust	Great Britain
2010	Giuseppe Mazzanti	Italy	^[17]
2012	Lorenzo Avagnina	Italy	^[18]
2014	Curt Smith	Netherlands	^[19]
2016	Stijn van der Meer		^[20]
2019	Ademar Rifaela		^[21]
2021	Roger Bernadina		^[22]
2023	Wander Encarnación	Spain	^[23]
2025	Didi Gregorius	Netherlands	^[24]

European B Baseball Championship

Note: No events in 2005–2012.

European C Baseball Championship

European Baseball Championship Qualification

References

^ "Who We Are". Confederation of European Baseball. Archived from the original on 2014-06-08.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 233–257. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
^ "Geschiedenis" [History]. EK Honkbal 2012 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
^ Los Angeles Dodgers 1984 Media Guide. Los Angeles Dodgers. 1984. p. 1.
^ "Sports Digest". UPI. 1987-07-27. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
^ "Canada qualifies for Premier 12". Baseball Canada. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^ "Race for Premier12 2027 qualification intensifies with latest WBSC Men's Baseball World Ranking update". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
^ "EuroBaseball 2025 Tournament Overview". WBSC Europe. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
^ "Archief Europees kampioenschap" [Archive European Championship]. Honkbalsite Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-13.
^ "Baseball - European Championships : Medal winners and event presentation". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
^ Pernas López, Julio (2011). Strike Two: El Béisbol en la españa de la posguerra 1939-1960 y otras curiosidades del deporte español [Strike Two: Baseball in post-war Spain 1939-1960 and other curiosities of Spanish sport] (PDF) (in Spanish). Barcelona: Federación Española de Beísbol. p. 221. Retrieved 2 August 2024 – via World Baseball Softball Confederation.
^ "Prijzen voor de beste spelers". Honkbal-nieuws (in Dutch). 29 (20). Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond: 4. 1962-07-30.
^ "Richardson beste honkballer". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1969-08-04. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
^ "Fouten coach fataal voor honkbalploeg". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1975-08-04. Retrieved 2026-01-22. Na afloop van bet toernooi werden traditiegetrouw de onderscheidingen uitgereikt aan de beste spelers van het toernooi. Charles Urbanus werd daarbij uitgeroepen tot de meest waardevolle speler. [After the tournament, the traditional awards were presented to the tournament's best players. Charles Urbanus was named Most Valuable Player.]
^ Stoovelaar, Marco. "European Baseball Championships 1999". Grand Slam Stats & News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012.
^ Stoovelaar, Marco (August 6, 2001). "European Baseball Championships 2001". Grand Slam Stats & News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ "EC 2010: Final Standings and Awards | Baseball-EM 2010 – Stuttgart • Heidenheim • Neuenburg". baseball-em.de. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2026-01-26.
^ "Italy defends Title at 2012 European Championship". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
^ "Netherlands take gold at European Championship; Italy silver, Spain bronze". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
^ "Netherlands win European Championship 2016". baseballeurope.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
^ "Netherlands win the 2019 Baseball European Championship in Bonn". mister-baseball.com. 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
^ "European Baseball Championship Daily Report Final" (PDF). WBSC Europe. 19 September 2021. p. 3.
^ "Spain beat Great Britain to win first Baseball European Championship in 68 years". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
^ "2025 Baseball European Championship - Daily Report Final" (PDF). WBSC Europe. September 27, 2025. p. 3.

External links

Official website

[1] "Who We Are". Confederation of European Baseball. Archived from the original on 2014-06-08.

[:02-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Chetwynd, Josh (2008). Baseball in Europe : a country by country history. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co. pp. 233–257. ISBN 978-0-7864-3724-5. Retrieved 5 January 2026.

[3] "Geschiedenis" [History]. EK Honkbal 2012 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2026-01-26.

[4] Los Angeles Dodgers 1984 Media Guide. Los Angeles Dodgers. 1984. p. 1.

[5] "Sports Digest". UPI. 1987-07-27. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

[canp12-6] "Canada qualifies for Premier 12". Baseball Canada. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2015.

[7] "Race for Premier12 2027 qualification intensifies with latest WBSC Men's Baseball World Ranking update". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

[8] "EuroBaseball 2025 Tournament Overview". WBSC Europe. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

[9] "Archief Europees kampioenschap" [Archive European Championship]. Honkbalsite Archief (in Dutch). Retrieved 2026-01-13.

[10] "Baseball - European Championships : Medal winners and event presentation". the-sports.org. Retrieved 2026-01-13.

[11] Pernas López, Julio (2011). Strike Two: El Béisbol en la españa de la posguerra 1939-1960 y otras curiosidades del deporte español [Strike Two: Baseball in post-war Spain 1939-1960 and other curiosities of Spanish sport] (PDF) (in Spanish). Barcelona: Federación Española de Beísbol. p. 221. Retrieved 2 August 2024 – via World Baseball Softball Confederation.

[:04-12] "Prijzen voor de beste spelers". Honkbal-nieuws (in Dutch). 29 (20). Koninklijke Nederlandse Honkbal Bond: 4. 1962-07-30.

[:1-13] "Richardson beste honkballer". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1969-08-04. Retrieved 2026-01-26.

[:0-14] "Fouten coach fataal voor honkbalploeg". De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 1975-08-04. Retrieved 2026-01-22. Na afloop van bet toernooi werden traditiegetrouw de onderscheidingen uitgereikt aan de beste spelers van het toernooi. Charles Urbanus werd daarbij uitgeroepen tot de meest waardevolle speler. [After the tournament, the traditional awards were presented to the tournament's best players. Charles Urbanus was named Most Valuable Player.]

[stoov-15] Stoovelaar, Marco. "European Baseball Championships 1999". Grand Slam Stats & News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012.

[:03-16] Stoovelaar, Marco (August 6, 2001). "European Baseball Championships 2001". Grand Slam Stats & News.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[:12-17] "EC 2010: Final Standings and Awards | Baseball-EM 2010 – Stuttgart • Heidenheim • Neuenburg". baseball-em.de. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2026-01-26.

[18] "Italy defends Title at 2012 European Championship". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 18 September 2012. Retrieved 2026-02-10.

[19] "Netherlands take gold at European Championship; Italy silver, Spain bronze". World Baseball Softball Confederation. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 2026-02-10.

[20] "Netherlands win European Championship 2016". baseballeurope.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2016-09-21.

[21] "Netherlands win the 2019 Baseball European Championship in Bonn". mister-baseball.com. 2019-09-15. Retrieved 2025-12-09.

[22] "European Baseball Championship Daily Report Final" (PDF). WBSC Europe. 19 September 2021. p. 3.

[23] "Spain beat Great Britain to win first Baseball European Championship in 68 years". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 2026-02-10.

[final-24] "2025 Baseball European Championship - Daily Report Final" (PDF). WBSC Europe. September 27, 2025. p. 3.

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v t e European Baseball Championship
Women's Baseball European Championship Men's Softball European Championship Women's Softball European Championship
Tournament	1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1960 1962 1964 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2010 2012 2014 2016 2019 2021 2023 2025
Qualification	2003 2005 2007 2010 2012 2014 2016 2019 2021 2023 2025
B-Pool	1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2013 2015 2017 2019
C-Pool	2014 2016 2018
Women	2019 2022 2025
Men's softball	1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2021 2023 2025
Women's softball	1979 1981 1983 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2022 2024
Youth	WBSC Europe U-23 U-21 U-18 U-15 U-12

v t e International baseball
WBSC World Rankings Teams
WBSC Events	Summer Olympics World Baseball Classic Premier 12 U-23 World Cup U-18 World Cup U-15 World Cup U-12 World Cup Women's Baseball World Cup
Minor World Events	Summer World University Games World University Grand Forks International Haarlem Baseball Week Little League World Series Intermediate Junior Senior World Port Tournament
Defunct World Events	World Games Amateur World Series / Baseball World Cup Intercontinental Cup Global World Series Women's Baseball World Series World Baseball Challenge International Amateur Tournament Inter-Allied Games
Africa	WBSC Africa – African Championship All-Africa Games
Americas	WBSC Americas – Pan American Games Bolivarian Games Caribbean Baseball Cup Caribbean Series Central American Games Central American and Caribbean Games Copa América South American Championship U-23 U-18 U-15 U-12
Asia	WBSC Asia – Asian Championship U-18 U-15 U-12 Asia Cup Women's Asian Cup Asian Games Southeast Asian Games Arab Classic SAARC Baseball Championship Asia Series
Europe	WBSC Europe – European Championship U-23 U-21 U-18 U-15 U-12 European Championship Women Super 6 Champions Cup Confederation Cup Federation Cup
Oceania	WBSC Oceania – Oceania Championship U-18 U-15 U-12 Pacific Games

v t e National baseball teams of Europe
Directly qualified teams	Austria Belgium Croatia Czech Republic France Germany Great Britain Israel Italy Netherlands Spain Sweden
Teams in qualifications	Belarus Bulgaria Estonia Finland Greece Hungary Ireland Lithuania Norway Poland Romania Russia Serbia Slovenia Slovakia Switzerland Turkey Ukraine
Inactive teams	Armenia Cyprus Denmark Georgia Latvia Malta Moldova Portugal San Marino
Defunct	Czechoslovakia Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia
WBSC Europe

Most recent season or competition: 2025 European Baseball Championship
Sport	Baseball
First season	1954
No. of teams	16
Confederation	WBSC Europe
Most recent champion	Netherlands (2025)
Most titles	Netherlands (25 titles)
Official website	WBSCEurope.com