European_Champions_Cup_(baseball)
European Champions Cup (baseball)
Annual baseball tournament
The Baseball European Champions Cup (BECC), formerly called the Champions Cup and European Cup, is an annual baseball tournament, sanctioned and created by WBSC Europe. The tournament features the top teams of the professional baseball leagues in Europe, and is the first tier of the four competitions organized by WBSC Europe, alongside the second-tier European Cup, third-tier Federation Cup, and fourth-tier Federation Cup Qualifiers, which operate with a promotion and relegation system for its federations.[1][2]
The first season of the tournament was held in 1963 and was won by the Picadero Jockey Club Barcelona.
Starting in 2008, the tournament is now held in two locations. The best two teams from each tournament then compete in the European Champion Cup "Final Four", with the winner receiving the European Champion Cup.
Between 2013 and 2015, the "Final Four" format was replaced with a best-of-three series between the winners of each tournament. In the 2015 tournament, six teams competed in the Paris group, while six other teams competed in Rotterdam. The best two teams then competed in the "Final Four" in Italy, in a best-of-three series, for the championship.
In early 2024, WBSC Europe announced a restructuring of its European club competitions, with the top tier Baseball European Champions Cup now being played in a full-season format at each team's venues, instead of a tournament hosted in one location. The inaugural tournament under the new format will feature only 4 teams from Germany and Czech Republic, with expansion planned for the future. The lower-tier competitions are keeping their tournament structure, with promotion and relegation for its federations.[2]
