The WCA Board of Directors is extremely pleased to be opening bids for the 2026 European Championship following the procedure as defined in Motion 22.2024.1.

At this stage, the Board is only opening applications for the European Championship.

As noted to WCA Staff and Regional Organizations in May this year, the Board is in the process of reviewing the 2026 Continental Championships. While the review is not yet complete, it has become clear that the size and scale of the European Championships requires as much lead time as possible. This year, the Spanish team delivered an extremely successful European Championship and credited much of their success to being able to start the planning two years in advance.

After speaking with key stakeholders, it became clear to the Board that the European Championship requires additional planning time not required for other Continental Championships. The Board anticipates being in a position to make further announcements regarding the other 2026 continental championships, early in 2025.

Organizing a competition of this size takes a significant amount of time and effort, both before and during the competition. It is imperative that the WCA Delegates in your country are committed to the preparation and the execution of this event. Please also note that applications must be endorsed by a WCA Recognized Full Regional Organization.

If you are interested in applying, send your application documents to assistants@worldcubeassociation.org CC’ing board@worldcubeassociation.org before January 31st, 2025, 23:59 UTC. Applications need to include a subject line of “<Location/Team> bid for European Championship 2026”. Documents must be sent in PDF format in two versions: one full version with all the details for the application, and another version with any sensitive details removed to make public.

At a minimum, your application needs to address:

1. When would you like to hold your Continental Championship 2026?

   a. Possible dates

   b. Number of days of the competition.

   c. Overlap with international holiday periods of schools.

2. Where would you like to hold your Continental Championship 2026 in your country?

   a. City should be interesting to visit for foreigners with opportunities for sightseeing.

   b. Ease of international, national, and local travel.

   c. Availability of hotels/apartments with different price categories.

   d. Venue, venue size, and venue setup (stage, audience, tables to practice, side rooms).

   e. Technology available including internet capabilities, video streaming, lighting, sound equipment.

   f. Number of competitors and spectators that can be hosted.

3. What would the organization team and staff look like?

   a. Core team members.

   b. Experience of the core team.

   c. Involvement of other parties.

   d. Quantity and quality of local volunteers (guideline is 20% of competitors should staff).

   e. Required support by foreign Delegates.

4. What would be the overall budget for the competition?

   a. Cost (venue, venue services, stage, equipment, decorations, website, badges/lanyards/gift packs, prizes).

   b. Income (registration fees, sponsoring, local government).

Here is an example document with a non-exhaustive list of topics that need to be arranged and budgeted for a large competition: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1w6uxOHrr40of1R4-NjU1vy7fVJXRHiRZBn53Hc-IOk8

Once applications are closed, the WCA Board will appoint a selection committee, interview shortlisted applicants and vote in order to decide where the 2026 European Championship will take place.

We are looking for a competition that can highlight our ability to deliver a high quality major championship. Our goal is to further professionalize the WCA and offer competitors a top-tier experience, while presenting a world-class event to an international audience.

We look forward to receiving your bid!