A new country will be crowned champions in Birmingham with Ireland, who won the inaugural title in memorable fashion in Rome two years ago, not qualifying for the 2026 European Athletics Championships.
The mixed 4x400m final will be run as a straight final on the first evening session on Monday (10) and all eight qualified teams will have realistic chances of making the podium
European record - Netherlands (NED) 3:07.43
European lead - Great Britain & NI (GBR) 3:09.69
Championship record - Ireland (IRL) 3:09.92
Roma 2024 medallists
Ireland (IRL) 3:09.92
Italy (ITA) 3:10.69
Netherlands (NED) 3:10.73
Five to watch
- Netherlands (NED)
- Belgium (BEL)
- Norway (NOR)
- Great Britain & NI (GBR)
- Poland (POL)
The Netherlands won bronze behind Ireland, a precursor to a gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, although their quartet will be weakened somewhat with Femke Bol unlikely to compete with the 800m heats scheduled for the morning session after the mixed 4x400m final.
But even without Bol, their quartet could still challenge for back-to-back medals, and maybe even the title, if European indoor champion Lieke Klaver and European U23 champion Jonas Phijffers both make themselves available for selection.
Klaver and Phijffers were part of the Netherlands' silver medal-winning team at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo along with Eugene Omalla and Bol.
Also watch out for a Norwegian team which could surprise everyone on their major championships mixed relay debut. Karsten Warholm has outlined the mixed relay in Birmingham is one of his goals this year and 2026 European leader Henriette Jaeger will ensure Norway will be in contention for medals in both the mixed 4x400m and women’s 4x400m.
"I think I can contribute something that means we should absolutely be able to fight for the gold medal in the mixed relay," said Warholm at the start of the season when asked about Norway's prospects in the mixed relay.
And even behind Warholm and Jaeger, there is depth in the Norwegian ranks, especially on the women’s side. This was demonstrated by their shock victory in the women's 4x400m at the World Relays in Gaborone in a national record of 3:20.98.
Jaeger is likely to be joined in the mixed 4x400m team by veteran 400m hurdler Amalie Iuel who has announced her intentions to retire at the end of the year. What better way to retire than by winning a brace of medals in the relays in Birmingham?
Hosts Great Britain won a bronze medal in the mixed 4x400m at the World Relays despite Matthew Hudson-Smith, Charlie Dobson and Amber Anning all missing from their ranks. At this stage it is still unclear what their plans are but their chances will be strengthened if their top names make themselves available for selection.
By contrast, one can be reasonably sure Belgium will send their strongest team possible. The Belgians - whose mixed 4x400m team is affectionately known as the Belgian Waffles - won the world indoor title in Torun this March ahead of Spain and Poland as well as bronze at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Poland won the inaugural Olympic title in Tokyo 2020 and their team could feasibly include two of the members of that gold medal-winning team in Kajetan Duszynski and Natalia Bukowiecka, the reigning European 400m champion.
The line-up for what promises to be an exceptionally competitive mixed 4x400m is completed by 2024 European silver medallists Italy, 2026 world indoor silver medallists Spain and 2024 Olympic finalists France.