The 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing might be more than a year away but the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana on 2-3 May will be a pivotal qualifying event for Europe’s relay teams.
Twelve teams in each of the six events will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Athletics Championships across the two days. All eight teams who make the final in Gaborone will seal automatic qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships with four more spots available on the second day.
The World Athletics Relays also provides one of the last opportunities for teams to compete internationally in the build-up to the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships from 10-16 August when European titles will be on offer across all six disciplines.
Can Spain shock the world again?
Spain has been improving significantly in the relays in recent years and the fruits of their hard work paid off handsomely at the 2025 World Relays in Guangzhou.
A Spanish team anchored by Blanca Hervas anchored Spain to a shock victory in the women’s 4x400m in a national record of 3:24.13 ahead of the United States. Their team for Gaborone includes three of the four members of their victorious team with European indoor 400m bronze medallist Paula Sevilla - who also ran in the 4x100m - and Eva Santidrian also named in their relay pool.
And with the United States surprisingly absent, the women’s 4x400m could be a European-dominated affair. Poland and the Netherlands have been two of the leading nations in the women’s 4x400m over the last decade and both countries will be fielding near full-strength teams.
European champion Natalia Bukowiecka and 2018 European champion Justyna Swiety-Ersetic are both in the Polish ranks and the Dutch quartet spearheaded by European indoor 400m champion Lieke Klaver should seal one of the automatic qualifying spots despite Femke Bol’s absence.
Also watch out for a Czech team which features recently crowned world indoor 400m champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel as well as an emerging Norwegian team which is helmed by world and Olympic 400m finalist Henriette Jaeger and Amalie Hammild Iuel, the world leader in the 400m hurdles at the early stage of the outdoor season.
Spain also finished a close second to Great Britain - 42.21 to 42.28 - in the women’s 4x100m at the 2025 World Relays with both teams taking the scalp of Jamaica whose team featured both Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson.
The Brits will be fielding another young but talented squad including European U23 200m champion Success Eduan - who ran a blazing anchor leg to take Great Britain from fourth to first in Guangzhou last year - and 20-year-old Nia Weddeburn-Goodison who ran the first leg.
The women’s 4x100m offers more in the way of international opposition with Jamaica, Nigeria and the United States all likely to feature in the race for the title.
But aside from Spain and Great Britain, an Italian team including world indoor 60m champion Zaynab Dosso will have high hopes of challenging for medals along with Germany, the bronze medallists at the 2024 Olympic Games and 2025 World Athletics Championships.
The German ranks feature 2022 European 100m champion Gina Luckenkemper and Rebekka Haase who featured on both medal-winning teams.
Belgium to challenge for more global 4x400m honours
There wasn’t quite as much European success to report on in the men’s events at the 2025 World Relays with Europe’s sole medal being a silver medal from Belgium - the Belgian Tornadoes - in the 4x400m.
Belgium won another silver medal behind the United States in the 4x400m at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships and their team includes three of the four members of their silver medal-winning team - the only absentee being 2024 European champion Alexander Doom.
The United States might be absent from proceedings but Belgium will face formidable opposition from hosts Botswana whose power-packed team includes Lee Eppie, Bayapo Ndori and Collen Kebinatshipi, all of whom were part of their team which upset the United States at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Meanwhile, Letsile Tebogo has been named as part of their wider team and could be drafted in as well.
The entry-list also includes the Netherlands, who won the 2021 World Relays as well as Great Britain and Portugal. All three nations reached the men’s 4x400m final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Similarly, the favoured teams for the men’s 4x100m title might all hail from beyond Europe although the Netherlands, who won a surprise bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, will be looking to challenge established nations such as the United States, Jamaica, Canada and last year’s winners South Africa.
The Dutch team includes Taymir Burnett and Xavi Mo-Ajok, two of their returning members from their medal-winning team in Tokyo last year.
Great Britain will also be fielding a strong team which includes Jeremiah Azu and Zharnel Hughes as well as Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake, a member of their gold medal-winning team from the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London.
Strong European representation in mixed relays
The timetable also includes the mixed 4x100m and the mixed 4x400m. The entry-list for the latter includes Belgium, Spain and Poland who swept the medals in that order at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships along with the Netherlands who won the European indoor title in Apeldoorn last year.
The mixed 4x100m doesn’t have quite the same history having only been held for the first time at the 2025 World Relays when Great Britain won bronze in a race won by Canada ahead of Jamaica.
However, with the event making its major championships debut at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham this summer, there will be a strong continental presence in Gaborone with 11 European teams on the entry-list.
European teams competing in Gaborone
Men’s 4x100m - Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland
Men’s 4x400m - Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland
Women’s 4x100m - Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland
Women’s 4x400m - Belgium, Czechia, Spain, France, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland
Mixed 4x100m - Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Ukraine
Mixed 4x400m - Belgium, Spain, France, Great Britain & NI, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland