From 10 to 16 August, Birmingham will become the main stage for the European Athletics Championships. A total of 1,645 athletes from 49 countries will compete at Alexander Stadium, including reigning world and Olympic champions. Ukraine’s team includes 25 athletes competing across 15 events. We look at what makes the 2026 championships special, who will arrive in Great Britain as the favourites, and where Ukraine’s best medal chances lie.

Which countries have the largest teams?

Italy will send the largest team to Birmingham, with 132 athletes. This is a new national record at the European Championships, surpassing the previous mark of 116 athletes set at the home edition in Rome in 2024.

Germany will be represented by 116 athletes, while Great Britain has named a 98-strong team. France will bring 80 competitors, while Poland’s expanded squad includes 75 athletes. Ukraine will be represented by 25 athletes.

Who are the favourites in each event group?

Sprints  

Italy’s Lamont Marcell Jacobs will attempt to win a third consecutive European 100m title after his victories in 2022 and 2024. In July, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion ran 9.67 seconds with an excessive tailwind. Although the time could not be recognised as an official record, it confirmed that Jacobs is in strong form.

Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith will defend her European 100m title and also compete in the 200m. She holds the fastest 200m time by a European woman this season at 22.28 seconds.

Norway’s Henriette Jæger is the favourite in the women’s 400m. In July, she set a national record of 49.15 seconds and moved to the top of the European season list.

In the men’s 400m, the home crowd will expect a medal from Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith. The two-time European champion holds the continent’s fastest time of the season at 44.09 seconds.

Middle- and long-distance events

The women’s 800m is expected to be one of the highlights of the championships. Switzerland’s Audrey Werro leads the world list this season with 1:53.80, the third-fastest time in the history of the event. She will arrive in Birmingham as one of the leading contenders for gold.

In the men’s competition, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen will open his season in the 5000m final after undergoing Achilles surgery. He has won six European titles and could claim his fourth consecutive victory over this distance, although his lack of recent racing adds an element of uncertainty.

One of the Norwegian’s main challengers will be France’s Jimmy Gressier, the reigning world 10,000m champion and world bronze medallist in the 5000m. In June, he set a French 3000m record of 7:28.67. He plans to compete in both the 5000m and 10,000m in Birmingham.

Hurdles

Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji will be one of the main medal contenders in the women’s 100m hurdles. She claimed a surprise gold medal at the 2025 World Championships, setting a national record of 12.24 seconds. Her best result this season is 12.62 seconds.

In the men’s 400m hurdles, Karsten Warholm remains the leading European favourite. The world record-holder has clocked 46.61 seconds this season, the fastest time by a European athlete and the second-fastest in the world. The Norwegian has won the three previous European Championships and is now targeting a fourth consecutive title.

Pole vault

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis remains the clear favourite in the men’s pole vault. This year, he set a world record of 6.31m. His closest challenger will be Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who cleared 6.17m indoors this season to become the second-highest pole vaulter in history. 

Throws 

The battle for gold in the men’s hammer throw promises to be particularly close. France’s Yann Chaussinand set a national record of 82.44m this season and leads the European list.

In the women’s shot put, Jessica Schilder will be the leading contender for gold. The reigning world champion and two-time European champion set a Dutch record of 21.09m in May. It is the best result in the world this season and the best women’s shot put performance in 14 years.

Combined events 

Leo Neugebauer will be one of the leading contenders for gold in the men’s decathlon. The German will arrive in Birmingham as the reigning world champion and national record-holder.

Switzerland’s Annik Kälin leads the women’s heptathlon rankings. In Ratingen, she set a Swiss record and the world-leading score for the season with 6,819 points.

Who will represent Ukraine at the European Championships? 

In the women’s high jump, Yaroslava Mahuchikh remains the leading favourite. She won the two previous European Championships and holds the best result of the season among the entrants at 2.03m. Her main rivals will be Serbia’s Angelina Topić, who has cleared 2.00m, and Iryna Herashchenko, who has jumped 1.97m this year. Herashchenko won bronze at the previous European Championships. 

Oleh Doroshchuk leads the men’s high jump list with a result of 2.33m. His main challengers include Jan Štefela with 2.32m, Kimani Jack with 2.31m, and three-time European champion Gianmarco Tamberi. Another Ukrainian, Roman Petruk, set a personal best of 2.30m in June.

In the race walk, Liudmyla Olyanovska will be one of the Ukrainian athletes to watch. The European bronze medallist from 2024 will compete over the new 21.0975km distance.

Ukraine will be represented by Iryna Budzynska in the women’s long jump. At the end of May, she set a personal best of 6.82m, placing her among the strongest European long jumpers this season and giving her a realistic chance of reaching the final.

The European Athletics Championships promise to be one of the most exciting competitions of the season, with Ukraine having several genuine medal chances. Follow the results via this link.

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