Softball Europe unveils 2021 international calendar with five WBSC World Cup qualifiers

Softball Europe has announced its 2021-2023 continental events calendar, including eight European Championships in 2021. Five of these events will serve as WBSC World Cup qualifiers in different age-categories.

The 2021 Men’s European Softball Championship in Ledenice, the Czech Republic, will be held from 21-26 June. The event will serve as a qualifier for the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup 2022 in Auckland, New Zealand. The top two national teams will represent Europe in the men’s flagship softball competition.

The 2021 Women’s European Softball Championship will be played from 4-10 July in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, just a few weeks before softball’s historic comeback at the Tokyo Olympic Games. The winner of the continental event will represent Europe in the The World Games 2022 Birmingham.

Softball Europe added two new events in 2021, both of them World Cup qualifiers. The U-12 Mixed Qualifier will be played at the beginning of the softball season, in April or May. This tournament will be the qualifier for the U-12 Mixed Softball World Cup 2021. The U-23 Men’s Qualifier will be held from 12-17 July in Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic, along with the U-18 Men’s European Championship (also a qualifier for the 2022 World Cup) and the U-16 Men’s European Championship.

The U-18 Women's European Championship was moved to 19-24 July 2021, and will be a qualifier for the 2022 edition of the age-category’s World Cup.

The first European Championship of 2021 will be in the Mixed Slowpitch category, to be played in Colorno, Italy, from 15-19 June.

As always, August will be the month dedicated to the clubs participating in the European Cups.

The Softball Europe 2021 calendar will conclude with the third European Softball Masters, planned for October 27-30.

With the 2020 season having been cancelled during to the COVID-19 pandemic, all tournaments in 2021 will be closely monitored and will be played if health and safety restrictions allow it.