The Madrid 2025 European Athletics Team Championships 1st Division descends on the Spanish capital from 27–29 June, where continental pride and crucial team points will be on the line across a thrilling slate of men’s track events.
The event will be streamed live on the European Athletics website courtesy of the Eurovision Sport platform.
Hosts Spain will look to energize their home crowd at the Estadio de Vallehermoso, while defending champions Italy aim to replicate their triumph from Silesia 2023.
Heavyweight contenders Poland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain bring depth and experience, making for a wide-open and highly competitive meet where every point matters.
Sprints (100m – 400m)
The 100m showdown features Tokyo Olympic champion and European champion Marcell Jacobs of Italy likely facing off against fellow sub-10 second sprinters Jeff Erius of France and British sprinter Eugene Amo-Dadzie.
Germany’s Lucas Ansah-Peprah recently clocked a personal best 10.00 at the Sparkassen Gala and will be seeking to join them in sprinting’s most exclusive club in Madrid.
In the 200m, Italy’s Eseosa Desalu leads on form with a 20.21 season’s best, followed in the rankings by Britain’s Toby Harries (20.22) and Dutchman Xavi Mo-Ajok (20.37).
The 400m is difficult to call. Dutch sprinter Jonas Phijffers (44.93) is the only entrant who has ran under 45 seconds this year. Britain’s Samuel Reardon is the fastest on paper with a lifetime best of 44.70. George John Franks, who has only recently gained eligibility for Greece, will be racing in his first race outside of the USA and with a personal best of 45.20 is a real wildcard entrant.
Distance (800m – 5000m)
Fresh off his first Diamond League win in Paris, Spain’s European leader Mohammed Attaoui will start as favourite. Germany’s Alexander Stepanov with a season’s best of 1:44.17 is likely to be in the mix. Another name worth watching is Sweden’s improving middle distance prospect Samuel Pihlström, who has set multiple national records this year and won over 1500m at the Stockholm Diamond League.
The men’s 1500m features elite depth, including in-form Portugese star Isaac Nader, who recently won the Dream Mile at the Oslo Diamond League and the Netherlands’ Stefan Nillessen, 9th at the Paris Olympics, who recently set a new national record of 3:29.23 back in the French capital in the Diamond League.
The men’s 5000m could be one of the race of the championships.
It is stacked with quality and includes Switzerland’s European 10,000m champion Dominic Lobalu, Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa, half marathon gold medallist at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships, Dutch prodigy Niels Laros, Germany’s in-form 3000m steeplechaser Frederik Ruppert and the fastest man in the field with a season’s best of 12:47.67 Spain’s Thierry Ndikumwenayo all likely to contend.
In the 3000m steeplechase, Germany’s Karl Bebendorf is the European bronze medallist and has continued to improve this year, winning at the Stockholm Diamond League and lowering his best to 8:11.52.
He is the likely favourite, but will face tough opposition from Spain’s Daniel Arce and France’s Nicolas-Marie Daru, who were fifth and sixth at Roma 2024 respectively.
Hurdles
The 110m hurdles features Swiss star Jason Joseph, who has been in form on the Diamond League circuit, winning in Rome and equalling his national record of 13.07 in Paris.
Joseph won bronze at the Roma 2024 European Athletics Championships. and he will be reunited with the other medallists; Lorenzo Simonelli of Italy (gold) and Enrique Llopis of Spain (silver) in a high quality line-up. Joseph won this race in Silesia 2023.
In the 400m hurdles, Italy’s European silver medallist Alessandro Sibilio and Britain’s improving Alastair Chalmers look a step ahead of the rest.
Relays
The 4x100m relay should be electric. Italy, with Roma 4x100m gold medallists Filippo Tortu, Lorenzo Patta, Robert Rigali joining forced with Samuele Ceccarelli – winner at this event in Silesia, fielding the most formidable line up. Great Britain, Germany, and France all bring well-seasoned quartets.
In the mixed relays, Tokyo Olympic champions Poland are bringing a strong squad with European indoor 400m silver medallist Maksymilian Szwed and Kajetan Duszyński, a member of the Olympic gold medal winning team joining forces with Natalia Bukowiecka (née Kaczmarek) and Justyna Święty‑Ersetic, current and former European champions in the women’s 400m.