In just a few weeks, 16 of Europe’s finest baseballing nations will compete for the European Championship.
In 2023, Europe’s most prestigious baseball event produced a cascade of excitement, culminating in a memorable final between Spain and Great Britain.
Spain exacted revenge on Drew Spencer’s GB team with an emphatic 11-2 victory in the final beneath the floodlights in Brno, Czechia.
I say exacted, as GB had inflicted heartbreak on Spain with elimination in extra innings in the 2022 WBC qualifier.
A qualifier which saw Great Britain join Colombia, Canada, Mexico, and the USA in Phoenix.
A qualifier that gave Great Britain a shot (which they took and they scored) at automatic qualification for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
To say that GB’s 10-9 walk-off against Spain in Regensberg in 2022 was pivotal is to understate one of the most crucial moments in baseball in this country.
Spain were worthy winners of the championship in EuroBaseball 2023, but as a demonstration of how far the British national team has progressed during the tenures of Liam Carroll and Drew Spencer, there was actually a tinge of disappointment at GB only winning the silver medal.
NOTE: The tinge of disappointment was from me, a fan. I’m sure the GB staff and players were far too professional for such a reaction.
And so to this year’s competition, which will likely feature the highest quality play we have ever witnessed in Europe.
With Drew Spencer’s decision to focus 100% of his attention on the Yankees, the role of head coach was filled by a superstar of British baseball, Bradley Marcelino. Hugely respected within the game, British Baseball Hall of Famer, Marcelino is the hitting co-ordinator for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Oh, and like all the best people, he was born in Essex.
Baseball in Europe is thriving like never before. Next year’s World Baseball Classic features the 20 best teams across the globe and five of these are from Europe: Great Britain, Italy, Czechia, Israel, and the Netherlands.
Three of these WBC-qualified teams are in GB’s Group B. It’s too much of a cliche to call this the group of death, but wow!
And the only country in GB’s group not going to the WBC is France, ranked 23rd in the world and 7th in Europe.
I predict that France will not finish bottom of the group, so every inning of this Round Robin will be fought with utmost competitiveness.
The competition is spread across three venues – Groups A & B play in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), Group C is based in Milan (Italy), while Group D play in Antwerp (Belgium).
Great Britain must finish in the top two in their group to automatically qualify for the quarter finals. Third or fourth place is not the end of the world, as the team will have another shot via the repechage.
SCHEDULE (subject to change)
Saturday 20 September: Great Britain v Netherlands (7:30pm CET)
Sunday 21 September: Great Britain v Israel (1pm CET)
Monday 22 September: Great Britain v France (1pm CET)
The opening game against the hosts is scheduled for the impressive Neptunus Family Stadium, Rotterdam, with the remaining two pool games set for the secondary field adjacent to the stadium.
Tuesday 23 September: Rest day / travel day / rain out day
Wednesday 24 September: Repechage playoffs.
The third-place team from GB’s group will face the second-place team from Group C (Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Lithuania). The bottom team from GB’s group will play Group C’s winner. Let’s be honest, that’s probably Italy.
Another motivating factor for Great Britain to finish in the top two of their group is that Wednesday, instead of being a high-stress, loser-goes-home game would become another rest day.
Thursday 25 September: Quarter finals
Friday 26 September: Semi finals
Saturday 27 September: Final (and Bronze medal game)
It’s safe to say that with the Euro Championship next month and the World Baseball Classic in March 2026, this is a wonderful time to start following GB Baseball. Look out for #LetsGoGB across social media.
Featured image by Andy Brown. Andy is the official artist of the national team. Surely no other country has an official artist? The painting is of the 2023 final between Spain and GB under lights in Czechia. Andy will once again be producing stunning artwork at each GB game. He’s a good follow on social media, and if you do nothing else today, check out his website.
Stay tuned to Bat Flips & Nerds for our upcoming preview podcasts, roster announcements, and unique EuroBaseball 2025 coverage. Baseball… with a British twist.
Gav has quit Twitter X but occasionally posts on Instagram, or you can contact him via Bat Flips & Nerds website and social media platforms.
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