In order to skate at the EC, the skater must have achieved a technical point requirement established by the ISU (International Skating Union). Based on the available skaters, the selection is made by the Swedish Figure Skating Federation’s International Committee together with the federation’s sports manager.
The Swedish squad for the EC in Sheffield consists of Josefin Taljegård, Andreas Nordebäck and the ice dance couple Milla Ruud Reitan and Nikolaj Majorov.
– The selection for the EC has been based on the autumn’s competition results, where both international competitions and the SM have been weighed, together with the current world ranking, says the Swedish Figure Skating Association’s sports manager Anna Burwall.
Reigning Swedish champion Josefin Taljegård makes her fifth EC start in Sheffield. During the autumn, she has shown a clearly rising form and recently secured her fourth SM gold. The new Swedish champion Andreas Nordebäck also has a good EC routine and is now making his fourth European Championship. Coming into the championship he has had a strong start to the season with top 10 finishes at both Challenger and Grand Prix level.
The ice dance couple Milla Ruud Reitan and Nikolaj Majorov continue to impress internationally and make their third EC start in Sheffield. Since they began their investment in ice dancing in the spring of 2023, they have quickly established themselves in the world elite. In the autumn, they made history by being the first Swedish ice dance couple to win a medal at a Challenger competition, when they took bronze at the Denis Ten Memorial. Recently, it was also clear that the pair secured a Swedish Olympic quota place for the Winter Olympics in Milan through their efforts at the Olympic qualifiers in Beijing.
– It is an experienced squad that goes to Sheffield. It is a high level at the EC and the Swedish skaters can and should participate and compete for higher positions. Josefin’s strength is the programs and expression, and at the EC she is required to also set the technical elements. Andreas ended up just outside the top 10 last year. This year he has become stronger technically and the goal is to take two places next year. Milla and Nikolaj have this season taken a further step in the international arena. They continue to develop technically, but have also made great strides in their expression, their musicality and their ability to capture the audience.
Link to European Championship 2026: ISU European Figure Skating Championships Sheffield 2026 Link to other website.
On site in Sheffield is also Susanne Sjöquist, who has been selected as a judge in pair skating. Åsa Nordback is the referee selected by the ISU in the men’s competition.
