Joe GallopEuropean Athletics has announced that Birmingham will host the European Athletics Championships in 2026 following a successful bid process with UK Athletics (UKA).
Working in partnership with Birmingham City Council and UK Sport, UKA will host the competition seven years after staging the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow. It will be the first time the UK has ever hosted the European Athletics Championships.
Following its hosting of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games athletics events and opening and closing ceremonies, the newly renovated Alexander Stadium (cap. 18,000) will be the venue for the 2026 Championships.
UKA chief executive Jack Buckner said, “Our vision for the Championships is about record breaking ticket sales and an amazing atmosphere for athletes to be inspired inside and outside the stadium. We have promised to deliver an amazing, innovative and game changing Championships, and we’re excited we can now put this plan into action.”
Birmingham City Council leader, Cllr Ian Ward said, “Over many years we have demonstrated we are a city that can proudly host major events of this type and scale – and the people of Birmingham and indeed the entire nation have proven time and time again their huge appetite for sport, especially athletics.
“The Alexander Stadium is beyond all doubt the premier athletics facility in the country and we cannot wait to welcome the elite of European athletics for this event, which will also bring a range of benefits for local communities and our economy beyond the programme of track and field activities.”
UK Sport CEO Sally Munday said, “We’ve seen throughout 2022 the significant economic and social benefits of hosting big sporting events in this country and hosting this mega-event will deliver huge benefits for the city of Birmingham, the West Midlands region and the whole of the United Kingdom. It’s also important to recognise that our continued ability to deliver the very best global sporting events is thanks to the ongoing support of The National Lottery.”
Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said, “[Birmingham] is perfectly placed to put on the event following record-breaking ticket sales for a brilliant Commonwealth Games earlier this year. I look forward to seeing Europe’s elite athletes descend on the West Midlands and the Government will continue to work closely with UK Sport, UK Athletics and Birmingham City Council to host another hugely successful event.”