European Champions Cup (baseball)

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]

European Champions Cup (baseball)
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2024 European Champions Cup
SportBaseball
Founded1963
No. of teams8 (in 2023)
ContinentEurope
Most recent
champion(s)
Netherlands HCAW (2023)
Most titlesItaly Parma (15 titles)

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]


Results

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# Year Host Medalists
Winner Runner-up Third Place
1 1963 N/A  
Picadero Barcelona
 
Milan
 
Mannheim
2 1964 N/A  
Piratas de Madrid
 
Nettuno
 
Sparta-Feyenoord
3 1965 N/A  
Nettuno
 
Sparta-Feyenoord
 
Picadero Barcelona
4 1966 N/A  
Haarlem Nicols
 
Milan
 
Nettuno
5 1967 N/A  
Piratas de Madrid
 
Mannheim
 
Antwerp
6 1968 N/A  
Picadero Barcelona
 
Piratas de Madrid
 
Darmstadt
7 1969 N/A  
Milan
 
Madrid
 
Picadero Barcelona
8 1970 N/A  
Milan
 
Bologna
 
Antwerp
9 1971 N/A  
Milan
 
Bologna
 
Mannheim
10 1972 N/A  
Nettuno
 
Milan
 
Antwerp
11 1973 N/A  
Bologna
 
Sparta-Feyenoord
 
Antwerp
12 1974 N/A  
Nettuno
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Bologna
13 1975 N/A  
Haarlem Nicols
 
Sparta-Feyenoord
 
Condepols Madrid
14 1976 N/A  
Rimini
 
Antwerp
 
Condepols Madrid
15 1977  
Italy
 
Parma
 
Rimini
 
Haarlem Nicols
16 1978  
Italy
 
Parma
 
Rimini
 
Catalunya BC
17 1979  
Italy
 
Barcelona
 
Rimini
 
Parma
 
Bologna
18 1980  
Netherlands
 
Spain
 
Parma
 
Amstel Tijgers
 
Rimini
19 1981  
Berchem
 
Italy
 
Parma
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Rimini
20 1983  
Netherlands
 
Parma
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Neptunus
21 1984  
Italy
 
Parma
 
Rimini
 
Haarlem Nicols
22 1985  
Italy
 
Bologna
 
Parma
 
Antwerp
23 1986  
Antwerp
 
Parma
 
Bologna
 
Haarlem Nicols
24 1987  
Paris
 
Parma
 
Grosseto
 
Amsterdam
25 1988  
Italy
 
Parma
 
Rimini
 
Amsterdam Pirates
26 1989  
Viladecans
 
Rimini
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Parma
27 1990  
Antwerp
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Rimini
 
Grosseto
28 1991  
Paris
 
Nettuno
 
Haarlem Nicols
 
Amsterdam Pirates
29 1992  
Rotterdam
 
Parma
 
Neptunus
 
Nettuno
30 1993  
Italy
 
SV ADO
 
Parma
 
Paris
31 1994  
Netherlands
 
Neptunus
 
SV ADO
 
Montpellier
32 1995  
Netherlands
 
Parma
 
Neptunus
 
Kinheim
33 1996  
San Marino
 
Neptunus
 
Parma
 
Nettuno
34 1997  
Brasschaat
 
Nettuno
 
Neptunus
 
HCAW
35 1998  
Viladecans
 
Parma
 
Hoofddorp
 
Brno
36 1999  
Italy
 
Parma
 
Nettuno
 
HCAW
37 2000  
San Marino
 
Neptunus
 
Rimini
 
Parma
38 2001  
Rotterdam
 
Neptunus
 
San Marino
 
Rimini
39 2002  
Viladecans
 
Neptunus
 
HCAW
 
Nettuno
40 2003  
Rimini
 
Neptunus
 
Rimini
 
San Marino
41 2004  
San Marino
 
Neptunus
 
Bologna
 
Brno
42 2005  
Rotterdam
 
Grosseto
 
HCAW
 
Neptunus
43 2006  
Grosseto
 
San Marino
 
Grosseto
 
Bologna
44 2007
Details
 
San Marino
 
Kinheim
 
Rouen
 
Rimini
45 2008
Details
 
Barcelona
 
Nettuno
 
San Marino
 
Grosseto
46 2009
Details
 
Barcelona
 
Nettuno
 
Bologna
 
Kinheim
47 2010
Details
 
Barcelona
 
Bologna
 
Heidenheim
 
Rimini
48 2011
Details
 
Brno
 
San Marino
 
Parma
 
Bologna
49 2012
Details
 
Nettuno
 
Bologna
 
Nettuno
 
Amsterdam
50 2013
Details
 
Bologna/Rimini
 
Bologna
 
Rimini
  Netherlands and   San Marino
51 2014
Details
 
Brno
 
Hoofddorp
 
San Marino
 
Rimini
  Netherlands and   Netherlands
52 2015
Details
 
Rotterdam
 
Paris
 
Neptunus
 
Bologna
  Netherlands and   Czech Republic
53 2016
Details
 
Rimini
 
San Marino
 
L&D Amsterdam
 
Rimini
 
Bologna
54 2017
Details
 
Regensburg
 
Curaçao Neptunus
 
CNF Unipolsai Bologna
 
T&A San Marino
55 2018
Details
 
Rotterdam
 
Curaçao Neptunus
 
Rimini
 
UnipolSai Bologna
56 2019
Details
 
Bologna
 
UnipolSai Bologna
 
L&D Amsterdam
 
Curaçao Neptunus
57 2021
Details
 
Ostrava
 
Parma
 
Bonn Capitals
 
Fortitudo
58 2022
Details
 
Bonn
 
Parma
 
Amsterdam Pirates
 
Bonn Capitals
59 2023
Details
 
Amsterdam
 
Bussum
 
HCAW
 
Parma
 
Amsterdam Pirates
60 2024
Details
N/A  
Brno
 
Regensburg
 
Heidenheim

Most Championships

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Team Number of championships Years
  Parma
15
1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2021, 2022
  Curaçao Neptunus
10
1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2018
  Nettuno
7
1965, 1972, 1974, 1991, 1997, 2008, 2009
  Unipolsai Bologna
6
1973, 1985, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2019
  Milan
3
1969, 1970, 1971
  Rimini
3
1976, 1979, 1989
  Haarlem Nicols (Defunct)
3
1966, 1975, 1990
  T&A San Marino
3
2006, 2011, 2014
  Piratas de Madrid
2
1964, 1967
  Picadero Barcelona
2
1963, 1968
  ADO Den Haag
1
1993
  Grosseto
1
2005
  Kinheim
1
2007
  L&D Amsterdam
1
2016
  HCAW
1
2023
  Draci Brno
1
2024

Medals (1963-2023)

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RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1  Italy35322087
2  Netherlands17182055
3  Spain42511
4  San Marino3238
5  Czech Republic1034
6  Germany0459
7  Belgium0156
8  France0123
Totals (8 entries)606063183
  • 2 Bronze awarded in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Baseball Europe Competitions Regulations 2023" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "WBSC Europe announces the launch of the Baseball European Champions Cup, alongside the restructuring of European club competitions".
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