Léon Marchand and Sarah Sjöström headline swimming at the European Aquatics Championships 2026 in Paris, France; centennial edition attracts top Olympic champions

Local hero Léon Marchand and new mother Sarah Sjöström headline swimming at European Aquatics Championships 2026 - How to watch live

Léon Marchand, Sarah Sjöström, and Adam Ramsay-Peaty are among the numerous Olympic swimming champions at the centennial edition of the European Aquatics Championships. Discover key information about the biennial event below.

The 2026 European Aquatics Championships take place in Paris, France from 31 July to 16 August with swimming wrapping up the biennial multi-discipline event.

The swimming competition takes place at the Olympic Aquatic Centre from 10 to 16 August.

Without the World Aquatics Championships or Olympic Games held this year, the European Championships boast one of the strongest fields in recent years with numerous Olympic champions and medallists featured across the events.

As usual, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy and hosts France are fielding some of the most powerful teams.

Four-time Olympic champion Léon Marchand will hope to recreate some Paris 2024 magic in another home pool two years on from his gold medal haul at the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström returns to international competition for the first time since winning two Olympic gold medals in the French capital and giving birth to her first child.

Discover more about the top athletes in action, full schedule of the swimming competition and how to watch the event live.

Léon Marchand aims to break own 400m medley record at European Aquatics Championships

Leon Marchand (FRA) | Swimming | Athlete Profile

When Leon Marchand (FRA) raced at Paris 2024 the whole of France came to standstill. Marchand’s incredible haul of four gold medals and one bronze included winning two individual events (200m Butterfly and 200m Breaststroke) in the same session. Marchand also won gold in the 200m and 400m Individual Medleys.

European Aquatics Championships 2026: Top swimmers in action

Four-time Olympic champion Léon Marchand headlines the French squad for the home European Aquatics Championships.

The world record holder in the 200m and 400m individual medley swam the year’s fastest time in the latter (4:04.56) at the national championships on 27 June before withdrawing from the next races due to a groin injury.

The 2026 European Championships will mark his event debut as Marchand opted not to compete at the 2022 and 2024 editions.

Four-time world champion Maxime Grousset is another strong medal hope for the hosts. The 27-year-old is set to compete in the 50m and 100m butterfly as his main events after a foot fracture took him out of the 2026 French Elite Swimming Championships in June.

Sjöström is the superstar of the Swedish team heading to the 2026 Euros. The six-time Olympic medallist and 17-time European long course champion gave birth to son Adrian just under a year ago, on 26 August 2025, and returned to the competition pool in April.

Great Britain is fielding a hefty 36-member squad to the European Championships, many of the swimmers coming straight from racing at the 2026 Commonwealth Games ,

This includes three-time Olympic champion Adam Ramsay-Peaty , who won three medals in Glasgow: relay silver and bronze medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Fellow Olympic champions and multi-medallists at Glasgow 2026 James Guy , Matt Richards and Tom Dean will also line up on the blocks in the French capital.

Dean missed the national championships, which served as a qualifier for the Paris meet, in April due to injury but was ruled fit to compete again with his four medals at Glasgow 2026 backing up that decision.

On the women’s side, Angharad Evans and Freya Colbert arrive in top form after breaking British records in their recent swims. Evans won gold in the 100m and 200m breaststroke at Glasgow 2026 while Colbert helped her team to three relay silvers.

Sarah Sjostrom, Sweden’s Swimming Superstar | Splash In

When Sarah slipped and broke her elbow a few months before Tokyo 2020, her fans thought she may not even compete at the Olympics. She fought back, accelerated the recovery, and ended up winning silver in the 50 free. She currently holds 5 World Records and is eyeing Paris 2024 to add new achievements. Soundtrack: Mabel, Let Them Know

Italy is sending their largest-ever delegation to a European championships taking place outside the country.

Among the 48 athletes are Paris 2024 100m breaststroke champion Nicolo Martinenghi , 100m backstroke world record holder and Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon , and Simona Quadarella , the 2024 world champion and European record holder in the 800m freestyle.

Teen sensation Sara Curtis is also in stellar form, arriving in Paris after breaking national records in the 50m free, 100m free and 50m back at the Sette Colli meet in June.

Hungary led the overall and swimming medal tables at the 2024 European Aquatics Championships and look to back that up with more strong results in France. Four of Hungary’s 10 gold medals in swimming at those championships came courtesy of Olympic champions Kristóf Milák and Hubert Kos , both of whom will be in action this year as well.

Another to watch is David Popovici , who set the world’s best time this year in the 200m freestyle at that Sette Colli meet. An Olympic champion in the event (1:44.48), the enigmatic Romanian is out to win a third consecutive European title both in the 200m and 100m free in Paris.

In the longer distances, Olympic 800m freestyle champion Daniel Wiffen will aim to give Ireland a boost.

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European Aquatics Championships 2026: Finals schedule

All times CEST (UTC+2). Heats take place in the morning, while evening sessions also feature semi-final races.

Men’s 400m individual medley - final

Women’s 4x200m freestyle relay - final

Men’s 4x200m freestyle relay - final

Women’s 200m backstroke - final

Men’s 50m butterfly - final

Women’s 100m freestyle - final

Men’s 100m breaststroke - final

Women’s 800m freestyle - final

Mixed 4x100m medley relay - final

Men’s 200m backstroke - final

Women’s 50m butterfly - final

Men’s 100m freestyle - final

Women’s 100m breaststroke - final

Women’s 400m individual medley - final

Men’s 800m freestyle - final

Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay - final

Men’s 100m butterfly - final

Women’s 50 backstroke - final

Men’s 200m breaststroke - final

Women’s 200m freestyle - final

Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay - final

Women’s 100m butterfly - final

Men’s 200m freestyle - final

Women’s 200m breaststroke - final

Men’s 50m backstroke - final

Women’s 1500m freestyle - final

Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay - final

Men’s 200m butterfly - final

Women’s 50m freestyle - final

Men’s 50m breaststroke - final

Women’s 200m individual medley - final

Men’s 1500m freestyle - final

Women’s 100m backstroke - final

Mixed 4x200m freestyle relay - final

Men’s 50m freestyle - final

Women’s 50m breaststroke - final

Men’s 200m individual medley - final

Women’s 200m butterfly - final

Men’s 100m backstroke - final

Women’s 400m freestyle - final

Men’s 400m freestyle - final

Women’s 4x100m medley relay - final

Men’s 4x100m medley relay - final

European Aquatics Championships 2026: How to watch live

Eurovision Sport is streaming the European championships live starting on 31 July.

Live streams are available across all five disciplines featured at the biennial event: Swimming, artistic swimming , diving , high diving and marathon swimming. For swimming, only the evening finals sessions are streamed.

31 July - 16 August

Swimming | European Championships | Paris | France