Antwerp to host part of 2025 European Baseball Championship

Part of next year's European Baseball Championship will be played in Belgium in September. After Israel dropped out as host of the tournament, the games in Group D will be played in Borgerhout, a district of Antwerp.

Israel withdrew as host country due to the political instability and armed conflict in the Middle East, meaning the organisers of the tournament, WBSC Europe, had to change its plans. The matches in groups A and B, as well as the final stage, will take place in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

But the Netherlands can only host half of the games, so the other two groups will be played in other European cities: the Italian city of Senago will host Group C, while the matches in Group D will be played in Borgerhout. This is the first time the European Championship is taking place in three countries.

"This is a unique opportunity"

"We were asked by the WBSC Europe in extremis to find a solution," Ludo Peeters, president of the Belgian Baseball and Softball Federation, said in a press release. "Organising an entire European Championship is not possible for us, we simply lack the resources. Nevertheless, this is a unique opportunity."

The Group D matches will take place in the last week of September on the grounds of the local baseball team, the Borgerhout Squirrels. The group consists of Croatia, Belgium and two teams from the qualifiers who are yet to be decided.

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