The 2026 European Athletics Championships began on 10 August 2026 at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
The championships ran for seven days, from 10 to 16 August. Birmingham’s event was the 27th edition of the senior European outdoor championships and the first time a British city hosted the outdoor competition.
The opening programme combined track and field finals, including the men’s 5,000 metres and women’s 100 metres. This was separate from the multi-sport European Championships used in 2018 and 2022, so Birmingham hosted a standalone athletics championship rather than the broader multi-sport event.
A common mix-up is confusing the senior championships with the 2026 European Athletics U18 Championships, which were held earlier in the summer in Rieti, Italy.