WBSC Europe
AbbrevWBSC Europe
AffWorld Baseball Softball Confederation
HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
CategorySport governing body
JurisdictionEurope
Membership41
PresidentKrunoslav Karin

WBSC Europe is the governing body of the sport of baseball and softball in Europe. It was established on February 10, 2018, during a Congress of the Confederation of European Baseball and the European Softball Federation in Val d’Europe, France. The establishment of WBSC Europe followed the historic merger of the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) and the European Softball Federation (ESF).[1] As of 2026, WBSC Europe has 40 members for baseball and 39 for softball.[2]

The CEB was founded in 1953 with 5 members, which were Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy and Spain.[3]

The CEB was responsible for operating the European Baseball Championship, a championship that has been running since 1954 in Europe.[3] In 2010, there were 112,303 players in the CEB countries.[4]

The ESF was founded in 1976 with 6 members, which were Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain.[5]

The ESF was responsible for operating the European Softball Championships.[6]

History

The Confederation of European Baseball was formed in 1953. The European Softball Federation was formed in 1976, which then merged (baseball and softball) and formed into WBSC Europe in 2018.

CEB

In April 1953 in Paris, France, 5 countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) gave birth to the European Baseball Federation, originally named in French Féderation Européenne de Baseball (FEB). The first Executive Committee was formed by President Steno Borghese of Italy, Secretary General Roger Panaye of Belgium and Vice President and head of the Technical Commission Luis Barrio of Spain.

In 1954 the first European Championship was played in Belgium and Italy claimed the victory.

The sixth member country, the Netherlands, was accepted at the 1956 Congress in Milan.

In 1957 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sweden became the seventh member, and FEB became an eight-country federation in London in 1960 when Great Britain was accepted.

In 1963 FEB launched their first club competition. The first European champion of the club competition was Picadero Barcelona.

In 1967 the federations of Italy and the Netherlands announced their withdrawal from FEB and founded a new Federation: Fédération Amateur Baseball. In April 1969 the two Federations re-entered FEB.

In 1971 another Italian, Bruno Beneck, succeeded Steno Borghese during the Congress held in Milan. San Marino was accepted as the ninth member.

In 1972 the organization changed its name to European Amateur Baseball Confederation or CEBA, according to the French Confederation Européenne de Baseball Amateur.

In 1974 the first U-18 European Championship for players of age 18 and under was played. The first title went to the Netherlands. The Dutch also claimed the first U-16 title in 1975. In 1979, during the Congress in Trieste, Italy, Denmark was accepted as the 10th member.

There were already 15 member countries when, in 1985, during the Congress in Zandvoort, Netherlands, Guus Van der Heiden of the Netherlands succeeded Bruno Beneck as the president.

When Van der Heiden died, Italian Federation President Aldo Notari was elected as the 4th president of the organization during the 1987 Congress in Barcelona.

During the 1990s the number of member countries increased dramatically up to 33 by 1994, at which time it was decided to drop the word Amateur from the name of the Confederation, known since then as CEB: Confederation Européenne du Baseball in French and Confederation of European Baseball in English. CEB also created the Cup Winners Cup in 1990 and the CEB Cup in 1993.

Martin Miller of Germany, who had been part of the executive since 1995, succeeded Aldo Notari (who was nominated Honorary President) in 2005, during the Congress in Prague. Miller was confirmed as president during the 2009 Congress in San Marino. During Miller's presidency, the number of European Cups for Clubs was reduced to two. Starting in the 2009 season, only a single European Cup for Clubs is played.

Miller resigned from the presidency during the 2012 Congress in Rotterdam. Petr Ditrich of the Czech Republic was the interim president until the 2013 Congress in Bled, Slovenia, that elected Jan Esselman of the Netherlands as the new president.

ESF

In 1976 in Rome, Italy, 6 countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain) gave birth to the European Softball Federation (ESF). The first Executive Committee was formed by President Bruno Benek of Italy and Secretary General Theo Vleeshhouwer of Netherlands.[5]

WBSC Europe History

On February 14, 2018, in Paris, France, the delegates of 38 National Baseball and Softball Federations approved the merger of the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) and the European Softball Federation (ESF) at the joint European Baseball Softball Congress in Paris, France.[7]

In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, WBSC Europe relocated competitions that had been scheduled to be held in Russia during 2022, and excluded Russian and Belarusian teams from all its 2022 competitions.[8]

WBSC had a budget of €500,000 in 2024.[9]

WBSC World Rankings

Historical leaders

Highest Ranked Europe member in the WBSC Rankings

Men's baseball
Women's baseball
Men's softball
Women's softball

Championships

Baseball

Men's
Women's
Club
Defunct

Softball

[10][11]

Men's
Women's
Coed
Club
Defunct

Baseball5

Current title holders

See also: Portal:Current events/Sports, in baseball and in sports
CompetitionYearHost countryChampionsTitleRunners-upNext editionDates
Baseball
Baseball European Championship2025Netherlands, Belgium, Italy25th2027
U-23 Baseball European Championship2025Czech Republic1st2027
U-18 Baseball European Championship2024Germany16th202613-19 July
U-15 Baseball European Championship2025Italy4th2027
U-12 Baseball European Championship2025Germany10th20267-11 July
Women's Baseball European Championship2025Czech Republic1st2027
Softball
Men's Softball European Championship2025Czech Republic13th2027
U-23 Men's Softball European Championship2025Czech Republic2nd2027
U-18 Men's Softball European Championship2023Czech Republic10th202629 June - 4 July
U-16 Men's Softball European Championship2023Czech Republic3rd202629 June - 4 July
Women's Softball European Championship2025Czech Republic14th202725-31 July
U-22 Women's Softball European Championship2024Poland2nd202620-25 July
U-18 Women's Softball European Championship2025Czech Republic4th2027
U-15 Women's Softball European Championship2024Czech Republic2nd202627 July - 1 August
Men's Slowpitch European Championship2022Italy2nd202622-27 June
Coed Slowpitch European Championship2024Czech Republic13th202613-18 July
Baseball5
Baseball5 European Championship2025Lithuania2nd2027
Youth Baseball5 European Championship2024BulgariaLithuania1stTurkey2026
Club
Baseball European Champions Cup2025GermanyHeidenheim Heideköpfe1stBonn Capitals2026
Baseball European Cup2025FranceTenerife Marlins3rdOlimpija Karlovac20261-6 June
Baseball European Federation Cup2023SlovakiaDornbirn Indians2ndSpartans Deurne202615-20 June
Men’s Softball European Super Cup2025Czech RepublicHørsholm HurricanesBeavers Chomutov202624-29 August
Women’s Softball European Cup2025NetherlandsLes ComanchesZürich Barracudas2026
Coed Slowpitch European Cup2025GermanyUCE TravellersPioneers2027
Baseball5 European Cup2025BulgariaBK Vilnius1stEGO SK202613-15 August

Medals

National Events

  1. Men's European Baseball Championship (1954–2025) - 38 Editions
  2. Women's European Baseball Championship (2019–2025) - 3 Editions
  3. Men's Softball European Championship (1993–2023) - 16 Editions
  4. Women's Softball European Championship (1979–2022) - 23 Editions
  5. European Under-23 Baseball Championship (2017–2021) - 3 Editions
  6. European Under-21 Baseball Championship (2006–2016) - 6 Editions
  7. European Under-18 Baseball Championship (1974–2022) - 32 Editions
  8. European Under-15 Baseball Championship (1975–2023) - 31 Editions
  9. European Under-12 Baseball Championship (1992–2023) - 30 Editions
  10. Baseball5 European Championship (2020) - 1 Editions
  11. ESF Junior Boys Championship (U-18) (1998–2015) - 9 Editions
  12. ESF Junior Girls Championship (U-18) (1991–2023) - 17 Editions
  13. ESF Co-Ed Slowpitch European Championships (1998–2022) - 13 Editions
  14. U-22 Women's Softball European Championship (2008–2020) - 7 Editions
  15. U-15 Women's Softball European Championship (2002–2022) - 11 Editions
  16. U-13 Women's Softball European Championship (2002–2010) - 5 Editions
  17. U-23 Men's Softball European Championship (2022) - 1 Editions
  18. U-16 Men's Softball European Championship (2017–2021) - 2 Editions
  19. U17 Baseball5 European Championship (2022) - 1 Editions
  20. Men's Slowpitch European Championship (2018–2022) - 2 Editions
  21. Super 6 Baseball and Softball (2018) - 1 Editions + 1 Editions

Club Events

Source:[12]

  1. European Champions Cup (1963–2023) - 59 Editions
  2. European Confederation Cup (1993–2023) - 23 Editions
  3. European Federation Cup (2016–2023) - 7 Editions
  4. European Champion Cup Final Four (2008–2012) - 5 Editions
  5. ESF men's EC club championships (1990–2022) - 32 Editions
  6. ESF men's CWC club championships (2002–2011) - 10 Editions
  7. ESF Co-Ed Slowpitch European Super Cup (2007–2021) - 10 Editions
  8. Men’s Softball European Super Cup (-) - Editions - Not Counted in this Table
  9. Women’s Softball European Cup (-) - Editions - Not Counted in this Table
  10. ESF women's EC club championships (-) - Editions - Not Counted in this Table
  11. ESF women's CWC club championships (-) - Editions - Not Counted in this Table
  12. Coed Slowpitch European Cup (-) - Editions - Not Counted in this Table

2023

Source:[13]

Coed Slowpitch European Super Cup 2023 07/08/2023 12/08/2023

August European Softball Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy - Sport Division 2023 European Softball Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy - Sport Division 2023 16/08/2023 19/08/2023

August European Softball Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy - Future Division 2023 European Softball Massimo Romeo Youth Trophy - Future Division 2023 16/08/2023 19/08/2023

August Women’s Softball European Premier Cup 2023 Women’s Softball European Premier Cup 2023 21/08/2023 26/08/2023

August Women’s Softball European Cup Winners Cup “A” 2023 Women’s Softball European Cup Winners Cup “A” 2023 21/08/2023 26/08/2023

August Women’s Softball European Cup Winners Cup “B” 2023 Women’s Softball European Cup Winners Cup “B” 2023 21/08/2023 26/08/2023

August Women’s Softball European Cup 2023 Women’s Softball European Cup 2023 23/08/2023 26/08/2023

August Men’s Softball European Super Cup 2023 Men’s Softball European Super Cup 2023 28/08/2023 02/09/2023

October Men's European Softball Masters Cup 2023 Men's European Softball Masters Cup 2023 25/10/2023 28/10/2023

October Women's European Softball Masters 2023 Women's European Softball Masters 2023

Members

Baseball

CodeAssociationNational teamsFoundedMember sinceMembershipIOC
member		Note
ARMArmenia(M, W)2005Full
AUTAustria(M, W)1983Full
BLRBelarus(M, W)1992Full
BELBelgium(M, W)1975Full
BULBulgaria(M, W)1988Full
CROCroatia(M, W)1986Full
CYPCyprus(M, W)Full
CZECzech Republic(M, W)1992Full
DENDenmark(M, W)2008Full
ESTEstonia(M, W)2016Full
FINFinland(M, W)1981Full
FRAFrance(M, W)1924Full
GEOGeorgia(M, W)1992Full
GERGermany(M, W)1950Full
GBRGreat Britain(M, W)1987Full
GREGreece(M, W)1997Full
HUNHungary(M, W)1992Full
IRLIreland(M, W)1989Full
ISRIsrael(M, W)1986Full
ITAItaly(M, W)[a]Full
KOSKosovo(M, W)2006Full
LATLatvia(M, W)2007Full
LTULithuania(M, W)1992Full
LUXLuxembourg(M, W)2002Full
MLTMalta(M, W)1983Full
MDAMoldova(M, W)1992Full
NEDNetherlands(M, W)1912[b]Full
NORNorway(M, W)1991Full
POLPoland(M, W)1978Full
PORPortugal(M, W)1996Full
ROURomania(M, W)1990Full
RUSRussia(M, W)1987Full
SMRSan Marino(M, W)1969Full
SRBSerbia(M, W)2006Full
SVKSlovakia(M, W)Full
SLOSlovenia(M, W)Full
ESPSpain(M, W)1944Full
SWESweden(M, W)1956Full
SUISwitzerland(M, W)1981Full
TURTurkey(M, W)2001Full
UKRUkraine(M, W)1992Full

Softball

CodeAssociationNational teamsFoundedMember sinceMembershipIOC
member		Note
AUTAustria(M, W)1983Full
BELBelgium(M, W)1975Full
BULBulgaria(M, W)1988Full
CROCroatia(M, W)1994Full
CYPCyprus(M, W)Full
CZECzech Republic(M, W)1963Full
DENDenmark(M, W)1978Full
FINFinland(M, W)1981Full
FRAFrance(M, W)1924Full
GEOGeorgia(M, W)Full
GERGermany(M, W)1950Full
GBRGreat Britain(M, W)1988Full
GREGreece(M, W)1997Full
GGYGuernsey(M, W)1950Provisional[Note 1]
HUNHungary(M, W)1992Full
IRLIreland(M, W)1989Full
ISRIsrael(M, W)1979Full
ITAItaly(M, W)[c]Full
KOSKosovo(M, W)2006Full
LTULithuania(M, W)2014Full
MLTMalta(M, W)1983Full
MDAMoldova(M, W)Full
NEDNetherlands(M, W)1912[d]Full
NORNorway(M, W)1991Full
POLPoland(M, W)1978Full
ROURomania(M, W)1990Full
RUSRussia(M, W)1987Full
SMRSan Marino(M, W)1969Full
SRBSerbia(M, W)2005Full
SVKSlovakia(M, W)1991Full
SLOSlovenia(M, W)Full
ESPSpain(M, W)1944Full
SWESweden(M, W)1956Full
SUISwitzerland(M, W)Full
TURTurkey(M, W)2001Full
UKRUkraine(M, W)1992Full

Former members

AssociationBaseball National teamsSoftball National teamsYears
Czechoslovakia(M, W)(M, W)–
Iceland(M, W)(M, W)
Serbia and Montenegro(M, W)(M, W)–
Soviet Union(M, W)(M, W)–
Tunisia(M, W)(M, W)–
Yugoslavia(M, W)(M, W)–

Notes

  1. ^ Member from to as well.
  2. ^ Member from to as well.
  3. ^ Member from to as well.
  4. ^ Member from to as well.

See also

References

  1. ^ "History". WBSC Europe.
  2. ^ "Members". WBSC Europe.
  3. ^ "CEB History 1953-2005". CEB. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Yearbook 2010". European Baseball. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "History". European Softball Federation.
  6. ^ "About Softball Europe". European Softball Federation.
  7. ^ "history". WBSC Europe.
  8. ^ "Russian and Belarusian teams excluded from all the WBSC Europe 2022 competitions". WBSC Europe.
  9. ^ "WBSC EUROPE FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS". WBSC Europe. 2025.
  10. ^ "National Teams Competitions - wbsceurope.org". www.wbsceurope.org
  11. ^ "Softball Europe Planning 2021-2029 | European Softball Federation"
  12. ^ "CEB Tournaments 2007". Archived 2022-12-23 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ "Events". WBSC Europe

Further reading

  • WBSC Europe promoted a Goodwill game between Team Eastern Europe and Team Ukraine played at the Eastern European Day at the Brooklyn Cyclones in Brooklyn, NY on June 1st 2025
  1. ^ Crown Dependencies of United Kingdom.