The battle for the remaining EuroChamps27 qualification spots reaches its climax next week as Rome, Italy, and Prague, Czechia, stage the EuroHockey Championships Qualifier I tournaments, with two places up for grabs at each venue.
Running simultaneously from July 9th to 12th, each venue hosts eight nations will play in a straight knock-out format with the winners of the semi-final matches qualifying for the showpiece next summer in London.
On the men’s side, Rome’s Giulio Onesti Olympic training centre is the venue with the quarter-final line-up beginning on Thursday with Switzerland (world ranking: 39) facing Croatia (WR: 43).
The winner of that contest will face top-ranking Scotland (WR: 17) or the rising force of Türkiye (WR: 41).
The other side of the draw features Czechia (WR: 31) meeting Portugal (WR: 57) before the hosts Italy (WR: 26) take on Ukraine (WR: 29).
All will be hoping for a place in Friday’s semi-final where the all-important qualifier tickets are on offer as well as a potential shot at tournament gold over the weekend.
For the women, SK Slavia Prague’s impressive club facilities is the spot for their what looks set to be a very evenly matched line-up.
Switzerland (WR: 36) are up against Ukraine (WR: 29) in the opening contest on Thursday morning; they are competing to face either Poland (WR: 25) or Croatia (WR: 62).
In the next section of the draw, Austria (WR: 33) face Türkiye (WR: 34) in a battle between two nations separated by only one place in the world.
Hosts Czechia (WR: 28) will be looking to use their knowledge to full effect when they take on Lithuania (WR: 53) in the last of the quarter-finals.
All are bidding for a place in Saturday’s semi-finals where the EuroChamps27 tickets will be decided.
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Meanwhile, EuroHockey Championship Qualifier II tournaments for men and women will both take place at Helsinki’s Velodrome, the site of the 1952 Olympic hockey final.
These tournaments will determine who will play in 2027’s EuroHockey Championship II and III competitions.
For the men, there are seven entrants. Pool A has Hungary, Lithuania and Luxembourg while Pool B contains hosts Finland, Gibraltar, Greece and Malta.
They will play in round-robin groups from which the winner will advance to the final and earn a place in Championship II next summer.
For the women, there are four competitors with Finland, Gibraltar, Hungary and Luxembourg in a single group initially. The top two finishers will qualify for 2027 EuroHockey Championship II and also advance to Sunday’s final with the other two nations competing for bronze.
