The European Athletics Team Championships is the biennial showdown where Europe’s top athletes trade individual medals for national pride in one of the most unpredictable and entertaining events on the athletics calendar.
This year, Madrid takes centre stage, hosting the First Division competition from 27–29 June at the unique green track created by European Athletics Preferred Supplier Conica at the Estadio Vallehermoso stadium in the heart of the Spanish capital.
What are the European Athletics Team Championships?
The European Athletics Team Championships is a unique international competition where nations compete not for individual medals, but for team glory. Every athlete earns points based on their finishing position, with those points combined to determine each nation’s standing.
The event is split into three divisions:
- First Division – 16 teams
- Second Division – 16 teams
- Third Division – 17 teams
Each country fields one athlete per event across 37 disciplines — spanning sprints, hurdles, middle- and long-distance races, jumps, throws, and relays.
The programme also features a mixed 4x400m relay — a recent addition that has quickly become a fan favourite, blending strategy and spectacle. Held as the final event, it can prove pivotal in shaping the overall standings.
How does the scoring work?
Points are awarded based on placing: the winner earns as many points as there are teams in the respective division (16 – 1st and 2nd Division, 17 – 3rd Division), with each subsequent place scoring one point fewer — down to 1 point for last place. Athletes who fail to finish or record a valid mark receive zero.
In the case of a tie — for example, two athletes sharing third place — the points for those positions are averaged and split. So, if two athletes tie for third in the First Division, they would each receive 13.5 points (the average of 14 and 13). It’s the reason final team scores sometimes include half-points — and the old idiom still rings true: every point counts.
For track events up to 800m distance (including relays), there will be two heats and the overall result will be based on times. For 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase upwards, there is a single heat of all competing teams.
The horizontal field events (long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hammer and javelin) will be held as straight final with 16 (or 17) athletes. All participating athletes will have three attempts (rounds 1, 2 & 3). Then, the best 8 athletes will have two more attempts (round 4 & 5). Finally, the best 4 athletes will have the final attempt (round 6) to decide the overall standings.
In the vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault), the athletes will be divided in two groups (A & B). Both groupswill be held simultaneously. The overall standing of the competition will be based on the combined results of both groups.
Furthermore, each competitor is limited to a maximum of four fouls across the whole competition. After the fourth foul he/she may not jump further unless he/she has won the competition. The rule of four maximum fouls does not apply in case of the jump-off for the first place.
At the end of the competition:
- The team with the most points in the First Division are crowned European Champions
- The bottom three teams in both the First and Second Divisions are relegated
- The top three teams in the Second and Third Divisions are promoted
- Teams in the Third Division cannot be relegated but still compete for promotion.
The host venues
This year marks the first time Madrid has hosted the European Athletics Team Championships since the competition’s launch in 2009.
For the 2025 edition, the First Division will be staged at Estadio de Vallehermoso from 27–29 June, while the Second and Third Divisions will take place in Maribor, Slovenia, from 24–29 June.
It’s only the second time in the competition’s history that all three divisions will be held during the same week — offering fans a rare, all-encompassing view of Europe’s elite, rising, and emerging athletics nations.
The spotlight in Madrid will shine brightest across three prime-time evening sessions, where the Super League’s 16 strongest teams go head-to-head. The line up consists of defending champions Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Czechia, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Greece, Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania — and hosts Spain.
While Spain have yet to climb the podium in this competition, they’ve been a top tier stalwart since the European Cup was restructured in 2009. With the backing of a home crowd and the energy of the Spanish capital behind them, 2025 could mark a long-awaited breakthrough on home soil.
Italy are the defending champions, having triumphed for the first time in history at Silesia 2023. Germany are the most successful team in the event’s history, with four victories in the top league (2009, 2011, 2014, 2017).
Poland are twice winners, having won at home for two successive editions (Bydgoszcz 2019, Silesia 2021). The hosts Spain and the emerging force of the Netherlands are also teams to watch.
What to look out for...
- Champions v Champions
There are some world class elite level competitions within the programme pitting champions against champions.
Amongst the most eye catching are the women’s 400m which matches world and European 400m hurdles gold medallist Femke Bol against European 400m champion Natalia Bukowiecka (née Kaczmarek), the men’s long jump with Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece against world indoor champion Mattia Furlani of Italy and the women’s shot put with Olympic champion Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany against European champion Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands.
- New Stars in the Making
The Team Championships have a reputation for unveiling future stars — many of today’s household names began right here. At just 17, Poland’s Ewa Swoboda made only her second senior appearance at the European Athletics Team Championships Cheboksary 2015, placing third in the 100m and anchoring Poland’s relay team to fourth.
Today, she’s a European and world indoor medallist. Don’t be surprised if another wave of U23 or U20 talent makes their breakthrough this month in Madrid and Maribor.
- Down to the Wire
With the mixed 4x400m relay closing the show, the final standings often come down to the very last lap — and margins can be razor thin.
At the 2021 European Athletics Team Championships, Poland edged Italy by just 2.5 points (181.5 to 179) to take the title, with late results proving decisive. Nowhere is the team element more visible — or the pressure more intense — than in the relays, and the final events often make for a nail-biting spectacle.
- The Battle at the Bottom
While the spotlight often shines on the title contenders, the fight to avoid relegation is just as fiercely contested. With three teams dropping from both the First and Second Divisions, every point and every position matters — not just at the front of the race, but all the way through the field.
Much like in football, staying in the top flight is a season-defining achievement for many nations, and the passion it generates is every bit as intense as the race for gold.
Where to watch
Fans can follow the 2025 European Athletics Team Championships live across all three divisions:
- Third Division (Maribor) will be livestreamed in full on the European Athletics YouTube channel
- First and Second Divisions will be streamed via the Eurovision Sport player, embedded on the European Athletics website
In addition to live video, European Athletics will be providing results, highlights, reactions and behind-the-scenes content via Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook and X.