How to watch European Athletics Championships 2026 for FREE: Live Streams, TV Channels & Schedule

Britain's Keely Hodgkinson competes in the women's 800 metres heat 1 during the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze 2026 in Torun, Poland on March 20, 2026
Keely Hodgkinson is aiming to win gold on home turf (Image credit: Getty Images)

Watch European Athletics Championships 2026 live streams as Keely Hodgkinson, Mondo Duplantis and Jakob Ingebrigtsen headline a cast of global superstars competing in Birmingham.

It promises to be a thrilling week at Alexander Stadium as the UK hosts the event for the first time in its 92-year history. The championships begin on Monday, August 10 and run until Sunday 16, with Georgia Hunter Bell, Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt among the other high-profile names set to compete.

Keep reading to discover how to watch European Athletics Championships 2026 online from anywhere – starting with those FREE options.

Today at the European Athletics Championships (Monday, August 10: Day 1)

(All times BST)

Morning session

10.35am – Women’s shot put (Qualifying Groups A & B)

10.40am – Men’s hammer throw (Qualifying Group A)

10.45am – Men’s 800m (Round 1)

11.25am – Women’s 100m (Round 1)

11.30am – Men’s long jump (Qualifying Groups A & B)

11.55am – Men’s 400m (Round 1)

Can I watch the European Athletics Championships 2026 for free?

Yes! The European Athletics Championships 2026 will be streamed live and completely free on BBC in the UK and Ireland, with coverage across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer. You will need an account and a valid TV license to watch live.

Athletics fans anywhere without a broadcaster, including those in the US, Australia, and Canada, can stream the European Athletics Championships online on Eurovison Sport.

Outside the UK? You can use NordVPN (try 100% risk-free) to watch the European Athletics Championships 2026 free of charge.

Use a VPN to watch the European Athletics Championships 2026

Starting on August 10 and ending on August 16, the European Athletics Championships 2026 coincides with peak summer vacation season. Unfortunately, you may find that your usual streaming options are geoblocked while you’re away.

That’s where a VPN comes in handy – not only does it let you access your home streaming services from anywhere, but it also protects you from potential online threats. We recommend NordVPN – it does everything and will unblock any free streaming service for you to watch the action.

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Get NordVPN and stream European Athletics Championships 2026 from anywhere.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple:

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're visiting the US and want to watch on BBC iPlayer, you'd select a UK-based server from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to BBC iPlayer and watch the European Athletics Championships 2026.

Can I watch the European Athletics Championships 2026 in the US, Canada or Australia?

The European Athletics Championships 2026 will be shown live in the US, Canada and Australia on Eurovison Sport.

All you need to do is create a free account and you can watch for no charge.

Visiting one of these countries from the UK? Use NordVPN to watch the European Athletics Championships 2026 on the BBC.

How to watch European Athletics Championships 2026 in the UK

UK flag

As mentioned above, you can watch live coverage of the European Athletics Championships 2026 on BBC in the UK. Remember you will need a TV license and an account with a valid UK postcode (e.g. SE1 7PB).

TNT Sports is also showing every event across the seven days live on TNT Sports 3 and streaming partner HBO Max. Plans start at £25.99 per month (minimum one-year term), with rolling subscriptions available for £30.99 per month.

Make sure to use NordVPN if you're out of the UK and don't want to miss any of the athletics action.


European Athletics Championships 2026: Preview

Four years after the city hosted the Commonwealth Games, the eyes of the athletics world will once again be trained on Birmingham as the European Athletics Championships 2026 comes to the West Midlands. Some of the biggest stars in track and field will grace the Alexander Stadium as they bid to claim gold at the biggest event Europe has to offer.

Several British hopes will be desperate to triumph on home turf, with Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson aiming to complete a hat-trick of European titles with her third successive gold in the event. The 24-year-old will be pushed hard by Switzerland's Audrey Werro, who has run faster than any woman in the world over the distance in 2026, and the Netherlands' Femke Broeders-Bol, a serial Olympic, world and European champion who normally races in the 400m hurdles. Hodgkinson's training partner Georgia Hunter Bell won 800m gold at the Commonwealth Games last month, but she will compete in the 1,500m here.

Other Team GB athletes to look out for include sprint stars Dina Asher-Smith and Amy Hunt, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson and local boy Matthew Hudson-Smith, the four-time European champion in the 400m and 4x400m relay, who has had the North Stand at Alexander Stadium named after him.

It is not just about the host nation, though, with some genuine global superstars also set to feature. One of the biggest names in world athletics right now is Swedish pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis, a two-time Olympic champion who has broken the world record an astonishing 15 times. Meanwhile, fellow Scandinavian Jakob Ingebrigtsen - the Olympic 5,000m champion and 1,500m gold-medalist at Tokyo 2020 - is set to make his return from injury, representing Norway.

When do the European Athletics Championships 2026 start?

The European Athletics Championships 2026 start on Monday, August 10, with the first session beginning at 10.35am BST / 5.35am ET / 2.35am PT/ 7.35pm AEST.

The championships end on Sunday, August 16, with the men's 4x400m relay final the last event of the week at 9.48pm BST / 4.48pm ET / 1.48pm PT / 6.48am AEST (Mon).

European Athletics Championships 2026: Schedule

Below is the daily schedule for the European Athletics Championships 2026. All times BST.

Monday, August 10: Day 1

Morning session

10.35am – Women’s shot put (Qualifying Groups A & B)

10.40am – Men’s hammer throw (Qualifying Group A)

10.45am – Men’s 800m (Round 1)

11.25am – Women’s 100m (Round 1)

11.30am – Men’s long jump (Qualifying Groups A & B)

11.55am – Men’s 400m (Round 1)

12.20am – Men’s hammer throw (Qualifying Group B)

12.35am – Women’s 400m hurdles

12.40am – Men’s shot put (Qualifying Groups A & B)

Can I watch European Athletics Championships 2026 on my mobile?

Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser to live stream the European Athletics Championships, for example BBC Sport and TNT Sports in the UK.

You can also stay up-to-date with all European Athletics Championships 2026 events on the official social media channels such as on X (@EuroAthletics), Instagram (@europeanathletics) and YouTube (@EuropeanAthletics).

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Freelance writer

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working across several of Future’s brands, most notably FourFourTwo. He started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away, before becoming a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers.

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