Preview: Antalya hosts Europe’s best with Istanbul 2027 spots on the line
The 2026 edition of the European Outdoor Championships heads to the familiar surroundings of Antalya, Türkiye, with one of Europe’s biggest archery events returning to the Turkish coastal city once again.
The championships, first held in 1968 and traditionally staged every two years, return to Antalya for the first time since the delayed 2021 edition. The two most recent championships took place in Munich in 2022 and Essen in 2024.
In Olympic years, the Europeans often serve as a major qualification event. This time, athletes will also compete in a secondary tournament on Friday to secure quota places for the Istanbul 2027 European Games.
All four defending individual champions return to defend their titles: Mete Gazoz of Türkiye, Katharina Bauer of Germany, Denmark's Mathias Fullerton and Ella Gibson of Great Britain.
For Gazoz, victory in Essen marked a historic achievement as he became the first archer to simultaneously hold Olympic, world and European titles.
With Gazoz returning after silver at Shanghai 2026, several Turkish archers enjoying strong recent form and every major European nation represented, Antalya could provide some major battles across the week.
All finals across the weekend will be broadcast live on archery+.
Key information
What’s happening? The 29th edition of the European Outdoor Championships takes place from 18-24 May 2026 at the Turkish Archery Federation field in Antalya.
What’s at stake? Continental titles and quota places for the Istanbul 2027 European Games.
Who’s competing? 307 archers from 41 countries.
What’s the story? Long considered a proving ground for future Olympic medallists, the European Outdoor Championships mark the third major tournament held in Antalya this year, following the European Grand Prix Spring Arrows in April and ahead of third stage of the 2026 Hyundai Archery World Cup in June.
Event schedule
- Tuesday 19 May: Qualifying
- Wednesday 20 May: Eliminations
- Thursday 21 May: Eliminations
- Friday 22 May: European Games quota tournament
- Saturday 23 May: Compound finals
- Sunday 24 May: Recurve finals
Defending champions
See full results from the Essen 2024 European Archery Championships.
- Recurve men: Mete Gazoz, Türkiye
- Recurve women: Katharina Bauer, Germany
- Recurve teams: France (men), France (women) and Germany (mixed)
- Compound men: Mathias Fullerton, Denmark
- Compound women: Ella Gibson, Great Britain
- Compound teams: Italy (men), Türkiye (women) and the Netherlands (mixed)
How to watch
Watch live footage of the finals on Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May with a subscription to archery+.
Live scores will be available on the World Archery website, with coverage across World Archery Europe’s digital platforms throughout the competition.
Who’s competing?
These are the top-ranked archers competing in Antalya:
- Recurve men: Andres Temiño Mediel, Spain (world rank: 4)
- Recurve women: Penny Healey, Great Britain (world rank: 7)
- Compound men: Mathias Fullerton, Denmark (world rank: 1)
- Compound women: Ella Gibson, Great Britain (world rank: 2)
A total of 307 archers (171 men and 136 women) from the national teams of the following 41 countries are competing at these championships: AIN, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
Competition at the 2026 European Outdoor Championships begins with qualifying on Tuesday.
