The 2026 European Athletics Championships begin at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Monday, 10 August, running through to 16 August — the first time the event has been held in Great Britain. BBC Sport

The timing is tight. Birmingham opens its doors just over a week after the Commonwealth Games wrapped up in Glasgow, meaning some athletes face a quick turnaround between two major competitions on the same soil.

Seven days of racing, jumping and throwing will unfold at the revamped Alexander Stadium, with tickets starting from £5 and a £3 order processing fee per purchase. Birmingham 2026 Tickets European Athletics has also put up €500,000 in prize money for leading performances across the championships. European Athletics

For the host nation, the team sheet reads like a roll call of Britain's finest. Defending champions Keely Hodgkinson and Dina Asher-Smith lead the British challenge, with Matthew Hudson-Smith, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Amy Hunt, Georgia Hunter Bell and Jake Wightman all named in the squad. BBC Sport

Hodgkinson, the Olympic 800m champion, will look to retain the European title she won in Rome two years ago. Asher-Smith, a former world 200m champion, brings the same hunger to the sprint lanes.

But the story stretches well beyond the home team. Three of the continent's biggest names are each chasing a fourth consecutive European crown: Sweden's Armand Duplantis in the pole vault, Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the middle distances, and Greece's Miltiadis Tentoglou in the long jump. BBC Sport

A fourth straight title would place any of them in rarefied company. Duplantis, who has rewritten the world record multiple times, arrives as the overwhelming favourite in his event. Ingebrigtsen, equally dominant over 1500m, brings the same relentless rhythm. Tentoglou, the Greek long jumper who specialises in peaking on his final attempt, has made a habit of seizing gold when it matters most.

Italy's Marcell Jacobs is targeting a third consecutive European 100m title — a feat that would reinforce his status as the continent's premier sprinter since his shock Olympic triumph in Tokyo. BBC Sport

The distance events carry their own intrigue. European Athletics published its men's 10,000m preview on 6 August, highlighting world champion Jimmy Gressier of France and Sweden's Almgren as the leading contenders. European Athletics Most of the front-runners plan to double up — racing both the 5000m on the opening night and the 10,000m on the penultimate evening, a punishing combination that rewards endurance and tactical patience in equal measure.

For fans unable to attend, the BBC will broadcast across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, Radio 5 Live, the BBC Sport website and app, and social media channels including YouTube. BBC Sport

What makes this championship stand out is its density. Seven days, one stadium, and a generation of athletes arriving at the peak of their powers. Duplantis, Ingebrigtsen and Tentoglou are each writing their own chapter of European athletics history. Hodgkinson and Asher-Smith carry the weight of a home crowd. Jacobs wants his third. Gressier wants his first on the track.

Birmingham has never hosted these championships before. That changes on Monday.