The 2026 European Table Tennis Championships are underway in Ljubljana, Slovenia, with the tournament running from October 11 through October 18. France enters the competition as the most represented nation, fielding 13 athletes, slightly ahead of Germany and Romania, both of which have 12 players in the field, as reported by Ouest-France.
Title Contenders and French Roster Depth
Félix Lebrun leads the French contingent as the top seed and a primary favorite for the men’s singles title. His brother, Alexis Lebrun, enters as the second seed. The pair also returns as the defending champions in the men’s doubles, an event they won two years ago in Linz, Austria—a tournament where Alexis Lebrun also secured the singles title.
The French men’s singles bracket presents a competitive internal path, with Alexis Lebrun, Simon Gauzy, and Flavien Coton all placed in the bottom half of the draw. The full French men’s singles lineup includes Félix Lebrun, Alexis Lebrun, Simon Gauzy, Flavien Coton, Thibault Poret, and Léo de Nodrest, the latter two having competed in the qualification rounds. In the women’s singles, Prithika Pavade, Jianan Yuan, and Charlotte Lutz represent the nation, joined by Alexia Nodin and 16-year-old Nina Guo Zheng, who moved through the qualification stages.
International Field and Qualification Results
While the French squad is the largest, athletes from across Europe are navigating the opening stages of the tournament. According to La Libre, Belgian competitors are actively advancing in the brackets. Lilou Massart and her partner, Van Hauwaert, successfully navigated the second qualification round in women’s doubles, defeating the Latvian-Israeli duo of Aleksandra Jersova and Elinor Davidov 3-1 (11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7) to secure their spot in the final draw.
In men’s play, Belgian athlete Laurens Devos, a triple Paralympic champion, faced a difficult start with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands’ Ivan Kahn. Other Belgian representatives, including Cedric Nuytinck, Adrien Rassenfosse, and Martin Allegro, are set to begin their tournament directly in the final draw. Rassenfosse and Allegro are entering the doubles competition as the world’s ninth-ranked pair.
Tournament Schedule and Broadcast Information
The competition follows a structured progression through the weekend, with the final stages determining the medalists. Broadcast rights for the 2026 European Table Tennis Championships are held by the channel L’Equipe, which will provide coverage throughout the event, with additional streaming available on the sports daily’s live platform.
| Date | Events Scheduled |
| Tuesday, Oct. 13 | Men’s/Women’s Doubles Round of 16; Mixed Doubles Round of 16 and Round of 8 |
| Wednesday, Oct. 14 | Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 64; Men’s/Women’s Doubles Round of 8; Mixed Doubles Quarter-finals |
| Thursday, Oct. 15 | Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 32; Men’s/Women’s Doubles Quarter-finals; Mixed Doubles Semi-finals |
| Friday, Oct. 16 | Men’s/Women’s Singles Round of 16; Men’s/Women’s Doubles Semi-finals; Mixed Doubles Final |
| Saturday, Oct. 17 | Men’s/Women’s Singles Quarter-finals; Men’s/Women’s Doubles Finals |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Men’s/Women’s Singles Semi-finals and Finals |
Tournament Format and Next Milestones
The event is currently in the transition between qualification rounds and the primary bracket. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, October 18, with the crowning of the singles champions.
Keep reading
