British Athletics has named a 98-athlete Novuna Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad for the European Athletics Championships 2026 in Birmingham, with the first edition of the event on British soil bringing together reigning European champions, recent medal winners and several athletes preparing for senior international debuts.
The championships will run from 10-16 August at Alexander Stadium, and that home setting gives the selection extra weight. This is not just a strong squad on paper; it is the group Britain will ask to deliver in front of a home crowd at a major European meeting.
Champions, medallists and proven names
The headline names give the squad real depth. Keely Hodgkinson will defend the European title she won in 2024, while Dina Asher-Smith also arrives as a reigning European champion. Laura Muir, a four-time European Champion, adds another layer of experience after winning European 1500m gold in 2022.
The middle-distance group looks especially strong. Georgia Hunter Bell won European silver in Rome in the 1500m in 2024, while Megan Keith claimed European bronze the same year. In the field, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Jade O’Dowda give GB & NI two established championship performers, with Johnson-Thompson part of the squad alongside another major British all-round presence.
There is also clear sprint quality. Daryll Neita won European 200m silver in 2022, Amy Hunt and Charlotte Henrich are among the names included, and Romell Glave comes in after winning the British 100m title earlier this summer. Jeremiah Azu, the 2025 World Indoor champion, is also selected.
Fresh faces and selection depth
The squad is not built only around familiar championship names. Arlo Ludwick, the 2026 British champion, is set for his senior international debut, underlining the balance British Athletics has tried to strike between proven medal contenders and the next wave of talent.
That blend matters at a home championships. The pressure of performing at Alexander Stadium will be significant, but the selection suggests British Athletics is backing athletes who have already shown they can handle major moments, while also giving newer names the chance to learn at the highest level.
There are expected to be strong battles across the track, especially in the 400m, 100m, 200m, 1500m and 10,000m events, where Britain has multiple contenders capable of reaching the later rounds. Scott Lincoln, who finished fourth at the World Indoor Championships earlier this season, adds to the sense that this is a squad with more than one path to success.
What this home championships means
The significance of this selection goes beyond the numbers. Birmingham will stage the European Athletics Championships on British soil for the first time, and that raises the expectation on every athlete named in the 98-person squad. Home support can lift a team, but it also sharpens the scrutiny.
For British Athletics, the message is clear: this is a squad built to compete for medals across the week of 10-16 August, and to do it at a venue that should know several of these athletes well. The names selected have already delivered on the European stage. Now the challenge is to do it again in Birmingham.
