The last remaining places at EuroChamps27 will be confirmed this week with the men’s qualifier tournament taking place in Rome from Thursday to Sunday.
The top two finishers from this knock-out eight-team tournament will qualify for London 2027, meaning each nation will be looking to win their quarter-final and subsequent semi-final to reach the top table.
Today, we look at the first sector of the men’s draw from which one of Switzerland, Croatia, Scotland or Türkiye will earn their ticket to the top table.
EuroHockey Championship Qualifier I Men 2026 (Rome, Italy)
Thursday (all times local)
Quarter-final 1: Switzerland (World ranking: 39) vs Croatia (WR: 43) – 10.00 CET
The tournament begins with a bang with the closely-matched Switzerland and Croatia meeting for the sixth time since 2018, sharing two wins each and a 3-3 draw last time they met last summer.
Last weekend, the Croats won an uncapped match in the Alps Cup in Prague 3-2 with the experienced Josip Krleža and captain Mario Mucić among the goals. They subsequently came unstuck against the Czech hosts and Austria in their remaining games.
** Switzerland in action against Croatia last summer. Picture: Antonio Lopes
The Swiss side, meanwhile, is captained by Loris Grandchamp who was an integral part of the Royal Orée side which qualified for the EHL this year. His general play and prowess from corners will be a key figure.
UHC Hamburg’s Leonhard Kraxner is another who has been a star for the Under-21 sides in recent years and can make an impact on this stage. Club mate Fabio Reinhard is a key influence.
Beyond them, the side features six players from the Rotweiss Wettingen team who won the Swiss national championship this season.
Their preparations have seen them play Italy twice – drawing one and losing the other – before the Alps Cup last weekend.
Quarter-final 2: Scotland (World ranking: 17) vs Türkiye (WR: 41) – 12.15 CET
Tournament top seeds Scotland face a Türkiye side bidding to cause an upset to put themselves in the frame for a first ever appearance in the top division.
Indeed, the measure of the challenge is shown from the last two meetings between the teams with Scotland sweeping to a 10-0 success in 2023 in Championship II while they were 7-2 victors in 2018.
Scotland coach Neil Allan is building on a busy 2026 which saw his side play in the World Cup qualifiers in Chile and then play in the FIH Nations Cup in Cape Town. He said of his squad selection: “We are delighted to name a full-strength squad with qualification for the 2027 European Championships on the line.
** Lee Morton returns to the Scotland line-up.
“Following a successful first ever Nations Cup I campaign in Cape Town where we finished sixth, above our world ranking and beating a top 10 side in the world for the second successive tournament, we have learned a lot as a squad and a coaching staff.
They welcome back Olympian Lee Morton to the panel while Tommy Orr will make his tournament debut. Callum Mackenzie and Jamie Green ate both back after injury in a lively squad that features Surbiton goalkeeper Calum Douglas and Edinburgh Uni sharp-shooter Jamie Golden. Hoofdklasse top scorer Struan Walker is another big star.
For Türkiye, it is their first international outing since the Championship III last summer in Kirklareli where they won the competition handsomely, winning a cracking final against Ukraine 9-5.
Ali Akin Özkiliç is a crucial figure, scoring at nearly a goal a game for his country outdoors while Müslüm Ekinci, and Furkan Ataş are strong and experienced performers. German-based Volkan Başer could debut – he impressed for the indoor side early this year while Vakif Kilinc captains the team.
