EuroHockey Club Challenge II Men – May 21st to 24th 2026 (Toruń, Poland)
HK Pomorzanin Toruń are looking forward to showcasing their immaculately upgraded venue in Poland with the EuroHockey Club Challenge II Men running through the weekend.
They will look to be one of the main contenders in Pool A of the eight-team competition, starting off in an initial group against Gibraltar’s Eagles, Welsh side Swansea and Sweden’s Valhalla.
Pool B has Gibraltar’s Grammarians, Lithuania’s HC Šiauliai, Hungary’s Soroksári and Zurrieq Wolves Hotsticks from Malta.
All will be battling to try and make it to one of the top two places in the group stages which will earn a place in ones of Sunday’s finals.
** Click here to see the full schedule while you can also keep up to date with the live scores on the Altius website.
Pool A
Eagles (GIB)
Eagles finished second in the Gibralatar league in dramatic fashion as Grammarians won their final meeting of the competition 4-0, outdoing the three-goal victory required to overcome Eagles. It came following three draws in their previous meetings and a 5-2 Eagles win, meaning the competition was settled by a single goal on goal difference..
Key to their chances will be the attacking prowess of Julian Lopez and Julian Hernandez and they have a proud record at this level. Most recently, they took gold on home turf in 2024 and also picked up first place in 2022.
HK Pomorzanin Toruń (POL)
Hosts HK Pomorzanin Toruń pride themselves on “tradition, success and modernity in Polish field hockey”, something which has made them one of the most successful and recognisable clubs in Poland.
This rich history includes Polish championship titles won in 1990, 2014, and 2023, each of these triumphs coming with its own context and significance.
The first title in 1990 established the club as one of the leaders of Polish field hockey. After years away from the top, the team returned to glory in 2014, proving its ability to rebuild and compete effectively with the best. The most recent success in 2023 confirmed that Pomorzanin not only returned to the elite but has firmly secured its place among the top teams.
Among the key figures is Dmytro Luppa, one of the team’s leaders and a player with significant international experience.
A special place in the club’s history belongs to Michał Raciniewski, who holds the record for the most appearances for the Polish national team among all players associated with Pomorzanin. His career symbolises consistency and high-level performance.
Equally important is Krystian Makowski, who has scored the most goals for the Polish national team among players from the club. His scoring ability has been a cornerstone of the team’s offense for years.
Pomorzanin continues to play a significant role in developing and promoting players to the national level. Currently, two Polish internationals represent the club: Tomasz Bembenek and Wojciech Rutkowski
The team is led by coach Patryk Karamuz, who also serves as an assistant coach of the Polish national team. His experience at both club and international level translates into high-quality preparation and the implementation of modern training methods.
An important step in the club’s development has been investment in infrastructure. Since April, Pomorzanin has been playing its matches on a newly renovated pitch, with the modernisation costing nearly 3 million PLN. The upgraded facility provides significantly better conditions for both training sessions and competitive matches, as well as hosting tournaments.
“We are aware that as HK Pomorzanin Toruń we enter this tournament as favourites, especially since we are playing on our home ground. It is a big advantage for us, but also a huge responsibility. However, we are not going to underestimate any opponent, every match will require full focus and maximum commitment from the first to the last minute,” emphasised coach Patryk Karamuz
Swansea (WAL)
Swansea Hockey Club continues to build a strong reputation within Welsh hockey, combining experienced players with university and junior players. This season marks a major step forward, having secured the West North Premier League title in impressive fashion.
The squad is led by a core of experienced players including Wales Masters standouts Tom Viney and Jake Joyce. Both have recently returned from the Indoor World Cup where they were recognised as Players of the Tournament, an achievement that highlights the quality and leadership within the group. Their experience in high-level international and European competition continues to drive standards across the squad.
Head Coach Callum Chapman commented: “After two seasons of pushing for promotion and narrowly missing out by just three points last year, this group showed real growth in consistency and composure.
“To go on and win the league this year is a huge credit to their work ethic, and it’s fantastic to see that progress rewarded with promotion. We are now excited to bring that to the European club stage after coming third at our last European club competition in Konya 2024.”
Valhalla LHK (SWE)
Valhalla face a big step up this weekend following a seventh place finish last year in Challenge III but they started off their outdoor season on the front foot.
A 10-1 win over Stockholm Lions last week was inspired by Jan-Olof Rydin who scored seven times. Along with Anders Magnusson and Felix Hornschemeyer, he can be a key figure in their chances this weekend.
Pool B
Grammarians (GIB)
Grammarians regained the Gibraltar league title in the most dramatic of fashion a couple of weeks ago when they overcame Eagles 4-0 in the final game of the season.
It was the fifth meeting of the sides with Eagles winning the first 5-2 before they played out three draws, leaving Grammarians needing a three-goal victory with Eric Casciaro, Niall Duo and Joseph Caetano swinging things their way in the second half.
The club is back at this level for the first time in seven years having previously won bronze four times between 2015 and 2019. They have operated at Challenge I since then with a third place in 2023 and fifth in 2024.
The likes of Jorgen Haveland, Shane Ramagge and coach Carl Rammage bring a large amount of experience while they have six players for whom this could be a debut tournament.
HC Šiauliai (LTU)
The Lithuanian champions are well on course to repeating that feat; they have built a six-point lead in the league with five wins out of six to date, defeating Sostinės Žuvėdra twice and then drawing with them last weekend 2-2 to stay well clear.
Last year, in the guise of Šiauliai Ginstrektė-Akademija, they also earned promotion from Challenge II with three wins out of four, their one setback coming against Pomorzanin Toruń in the group stages.
Their panel has a wide range of players who have competed in a number of European club competitions with captain Mantvydas Pocevicius and Arnas Ridlauskas chief among them.
Soroksári (HUN)
Soroksári return to Challenge II after a year’s absence, hoping they can emulate their gold medal performance in 2024 in Gibraltar.
In preparation for this event, they sit in second place in the Hungarian league with four wins out of six to date while they were fourth at the Ivo Zlatar tournament at Mladost in Croatia with wins over HK Concordia, HK Tresnjevka and HK Jedinstovo,
They will miss the injured Sebastian Leber but there is vast experience in their ranks in the likes of goalkeeper Zsolt Ferenczi, captain Imre Farkas and Tamás Balogh.
Zurrieq Wolves Hotsticks (MLT)
Zurrieq Wolves Hotsticks – formerly the Sliema Hotsticks – are back in Europe after a three-year break when they finished in third place in Challenge II in 2023. Indeed, teams from Malta have been in the top three ever since with Qormi and Floriana Young Stars reaching the same level in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
The side is led by Argentine coach Silvio Peralta ended in second place behind Qormi in the league this season. They have 11 players with prior EuroHockey experience combined with a quintet of teenagers who could potentially make their debut this week.
