site.btaBulgaria Wins Bid to Stage 2026 European Boxing Championships

Bulgaria will host the inaugural Elite European Championships for men and women in 2026, European Boxing said on Monday. The tournament will take place in Sofia and will be the first-ever Elite European Championships held under the auspices of European Boxing.

Following a competitive bidding process and a detailed review of all candidate submissions in line with the 2026 Bidding Guidelines, the Executive Board of European Boxing selected Sofia, Bulgaria, as Host City for the landmark event.

“Bulgaria presented a strong and comprehensive bid, supported by excellent facilities, proven organisational experience, and an official letter of support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. With a long history of delivering high-level international competitions – including multiple European and World Championships – Sofia offers an ideal environment to stage an event of this scale and significance,” European Boxing said.

As part of the announcement, the Bulgarian Boxing Federation published a message from its President, Krasimir Ininski: “For the Bulgarian Boxing Federation, it is a great honor, privilege, and responsibility to host such a large and significant event as the 2026 European Men’s and Women’s Championships. This is a very important moment in our shared history. We thank European Boxing for the trust and for choosing Bulgaria to host the first Elite Championships under their leadership. Over the years, the Bulgarian Boxing Federation has proven itself as a world-class organizer. Now, however, the responsibility is even greater, because this will be the first European Championships under the auspices of European Boxing.”

The Championships will take place from 15 to 26 September 2026 at Asics Arena in Sofia, bringing together Europe’s top male and female Elite boxers to compete for continental titles in the heart of the Balkans.

For Bulgaria, this will be the fourth time it has hosted the men’s European Championships, after Varna (1983), Plovdiv (2006) and Samokov (2015). Sofia has already staged European Championships in the women’s category, in 2016 and 2018, but this will be the first time the capital hosts the men’s tournament as part of a combined men’s and women’s Elite European Championships.