European Champions Cup (baseball) explained

Current Season:2023 European Champions Cup (baseball)
Sport:Baseball
Founded:1963
Teams:8 (in 2023)
Continent:Europe
Champion: HCAW (2023)
Most Champs: Parma (15 titles)

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 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

Year Host Medalists
width=17% style="background:#fff68f"Winnerwidth=17% style="background:silver"Runner-upwidth=17% style="background:#a67d3d"Third Place
1N/A
Picadero Barcelona

Milan

Mannheim
2N/A
Piratas de Madrid

Nettuno

Sparta-Feyenoord
3N/A
Nettuno

Sparta-Feyenoord

Picadero Barcelona
4N/A
Haarlem Nicols

Milan

Nettuno
5N/A
Piratas de Madrid

Mannheim

Antwerp
6N/A
Picadero Barcelona

Piratas de Madrid

Darmstadt
7N/A
Milan

Madrid

Picadero Barcelona
8N/A
Milan

Bologna

Antwerp
9N/A
Milan

Bologna

Mannheim
10N/A
Nettuno

Milan

Antwerp
11N/A
Bologna

Sparta-Feyenoord

Antwerp
12N/A
Nettuno

Haarlem Nicols

Bologna
13N/A
Haarlem Nicols

Sparta-Feyenoord

Condepols Madrid
14N/A
Rimini

Antwerp

Condepols Madrid
15
Parma

Rimini

Haarlem Nicols
16
Parma

Rimini

Catalunya BC
17
Rimini

Parma

Bologna
18
Netherlands

Spain

Parma

Amstel Tijgers

Rimini
19
Berchem

Italy

Parma

Haarlem Nicols

Rimini
20
Parma

Haarlem Nicols

Neptunus
21
Parma

Rimini

Haarlem Nicols
22
Bologna

Parma

Antwerp
23
Parma

Bologna

Haarlem Nicols
24
Parma

Grosseto

Amsterdam
25
Parma

Rimini

Amsterdam Pirates
26
Viladecans

Rimini

Haarlem Nicols

Parma
27
Haarlem Nicols

Rimini

Grosseto
28
Paris

Nettuno

Haarlem Nicols

Amsterdam Pirates
29
Parma

Neptunus

Nettuno
30
Italy

SV ADO

Parma

Paris
31
Netherlands

Neptunus

SV ADO

Montpellier
32
Netherlands

Parma

Neptunus

Kinheim
33
San Marino

Neptunus

Parma

Nettuno
34
Brasschaat

Nettuno

Neptunus

HCAW
35
Viladecans

Parma

Hoofddorp

Brno
36
Italy

Parma

Nettuno

HCAW
37
San Marino

Neptunus

Rimini

Parma
38
Rotterdam

Neptunus

San Marino

Rimini
39
Viladecans

Neptunus

HCAW

Nettuno
40
Rimini

Neptunus

Rimini

San Marino
41
San Marino

Neptunus

Bologna

Brno
42
Rotterdam

Grosseto

HCAW

Neptunus
43
Grosseto

San Marino

Grosseto

Bologna
44
Details

San Marino

Kinheim

Rouen

Rimini
45
Details

Barcelona

Nettuno

San Marino

Grosseto
46
Details

Barcelona

Nettuno

Bologna

Kinheim
47
Details

Barcelona

Bologna

Heidenheim

Rimini
48
Details

Brno

San Marino

Parma

Bologna
49
Details

Nettuno

Bologna

Nettuno

Amsterdam
50
Details

Bologna/Rimini

Bologna

Rimini
and
51
Details

Brno

Hoofddorp

San Marino

Rimini
and
52
Details

Rotterdam

Paris

Neptunus

Bologna
and
53
Details

Rimini

San Marino

L&D Amsterdam

Rimini

Bologna
54
Details

Regensburg

Curaçao Neptunus

CNF Unipolsai Bologna

T&A San Marino
55
Details

Rotterdam

Curaçao Neptunus

Rimini

UnipolSai Bologna
56
Details

Bologna

UnipolSai Bologna

L&D Amsterdam

Curaçao Neptunus
57
Details

Ostrava

Parma

Bonn Capitals

Fortitudo
58
Details

Bonn

Parma

Amsterdam Pirates

Bonn Capitals
59
Details

Amsterdam

Bussum

HCAW

Parma

Amsterdam Pirates
60
Details

Most Championships

TeamNumber of championshipsYears
Parma1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2021, 2022
Curaçao Neptunus1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2015, 2017, 2018
Nettuno1965, 1972, 1974, 1991, 1997, 2008, 2009
Unipolsai Bologna1973, 1985, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2019
Milan1969, 1970, 1971
Rimini1976, 1979, 1989
Haarlem Nicols (Defunct)1966, 1975, 1990
T&A San Marino2006, 2011, 2014
Piratas de Madrid1964, 1967
Picadero Barcelona1963, 1968
ADO Den Haag1993
Grosseto2005
Kinheim2007
L&D Amsterdam2016
HCAW2023

Medals (1963-2023)

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Baseball Europe Competitions Regulations 2023.
  2. Web site: WBSC Europe announces the launch of the Baseball European Champions Cup, alongside the restructuring of European club competitions.