News

European teams secure 37 of 72 qualifying spots for Beijing 2027 at 2026 World Relays

News
European teams secure 37 of 72 qualifying spots for Beijing 2027 at 2026 World Relays

3rd May 2026 14:22

After the second day of qualifying, 37 European teams qualified for places in the six relay events for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana on Sunday (3).

In total, European teams secured just over half of the 72 automatic qualifying spots - 12 in each event - on offer at the World Relays in the six events.

The remaining slots will be filled based on country’s positions on the top list during the qualifying window with the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham from 10-16 August one of the key events for European nations eyeing qualification.

Dosso anchors Italy to mixed 4x100m qualification

World indoor 60m champion Zaynab Dosso anchored Italy to victory in the first heat of the mixed 4x100m in 40.69.

Dosso held off a late charge from Portugal’s Arialis Gandulla who ran an excellent anchor leg to seal the second qualifying spot in 40.75, ensuring Portugal qualified for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in all three events in which they entered in Gaborone.

World indoor champions Belgium also qualified at the second time of asking in the mixed 4x400m in 3:12.79 although the Netherlands and Ireland, the reigning Olympic champions and European champions respectively, were among the notable non-qualifiers.

A blazing anchor leg for Mawdsley

However, Sharlene Mawdsley applied the afterburners for Ireland on the anchor leg in the first heat of the women’s 4x400m. A 48.34 anchor leg from Mawdsley propelled the Irish team from third to first in 3:23.83, the third fastest time in history by an Irish quartet in the women’s 4x400m.

"All I wanted was to win...that was the only thing going through my mind. The girls just put in such a great performance. We would have been disappointed not to qualify but I ran like my life depended on it and got carried home by a brilliant crowd. It was just amazing," said Mawdsley, who anchored Ireland to a memorable gold medal in the mixed 4x400m at the 2024 European Athletics Championships.

France finished second behind Ireland in 3:24.48 to secure their passage to the World Athletics Championships while a Polish team which was fortified by Justyna Swiety-Ersetic and reigning European champion Natalia Bukowiecka also qualified, winning the second heat of the 4x400m in 3:26.52.

Spain also continued their excellent World Relays campaign by qualifying for their fifth event in the men’s 4x400m. 2021 European indoor champion Oscar Husillos anchored Spain to a runner-up finish in the first heat in 3:01.37 behind winners Senegal in 3:01.28.

After DQ’s yesterday, France and Great Britain both qualified for the World Athletics Championships on their second attempts in the women’s 4x100m. France won their heat in 42.92 while an excellent anchor leg from Success Eduan pipped Switzerland for the second qualifying spot in the women’s 4x100m - 42.90 to 42.92.

Belgium also secured their second qualifying spot of the day in the men's 4x100m with a national record of 38.40 to finish second behind Jamaica in 38.14.