European Championship

The European Championship, officially referred to as WCQ Europe since 2010, is an annual two-day tournament determining the European Champion as well as most of the European competitors for the World Championship. It was introduced in 2006.

The tournament happens every year in the summer, after all European Nationals have taken place and marks the end of the competitive season. Only players who live within Europe ("Europe" in the context of Yu-Gi-Oh! including the Middle East and Africa) and have earned an invite at an official Konami event (like a Regional) are allowed to participate in the European Championship.

Historically, the Top 4 competitors of the event (and no other European players) would receive an invite to that year's World Championship.

In 2017, Konami made a change to this system by increasing the amount of Worlds invites for the European region from 4 to 6 as well as introducing the World Qualifying Points (usually dubbed "Worlds Points"). These points can be earned throughout the competitive season by topping official Konami events (mostly OTS Championships, Regionals and YCSs).

In 2017 and 2018, only the two finalists from the European Championship would receive an invite to the World Championship, the other four invites were handed out to the players with the highest amount of World Qualifying Points from Germany, France, Italy and the UK respectively, the four European countries with the largest playerbases.

In 2019, the system was changed once more. The amount of invites for the region was increased again (6 -> 7), meaning Europe was now the region with the highest amount of spots at the World Championship, ahead of North America. As it had been in 2016 and before, the Top 4 competitors from the European Championship would receive an invite, the other three would be determined by a newly introduced mini-tournament called World Qualifying Points Playoffs. The 8 players across Europe who had earned the highest amount of points would compete for the remaining three invites. Unlike before, players from different countries would play against another, meaning it was now possible for multiple players from the same country to qualify via the Worlds Points system.

This system is used to this day, except the amount of players who get to compete in the playoffs was increased from 8 to 16 following 2019. In 2023, the tournament was unique as the playoffs in that year included the Top 16 players from the 2019-2020 and the 2022-2023 seasons (i.e. 32 total players), because there had been no World Championships in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was also the reason why 2022 was the only year where the top players from the European Championship didn't get an invite to the World Championship.

Tournaments[]

2024[]

Date: 26 - 28 July 2024
Location: Berlin, Germany
Attendance: ~2300
Ref: ^[1]
Champion: Esteban Re ("Tenpai Dragon")
Runner-Up: Julio Valls ("Ritual Beast")
Semi-Finalist: Samuel Beboux ("Fiendsmith Sinful Spoils Snake-Eye")
Semi-Finalist: Giovanni Barone ("Fiendsmith Yubel")

2023[]

Date: 30 June - 2 July 2023
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Attendance: ~1900
Ref: ^[2]
Champion: Jessica Robinson ("Therion Sunavalon Rikka")
Runner-Up: Christian Thomas ("Kashtira")
Semi-Finalist: Oliver Newton ("Kashtira")
Semi-Finalist: Joo-Ho Ahn ("Labrynth")

2022[]

Date: 20 - 21 August 2022
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Attendance: 2078
Ref: ^[3]
Champion: Marcus Patel ("Sunavalon Rikka")
Runner-Up: Zio Mundry ("Danger! Tearlaments")
Semi-Finalist: Lars Junginger ("Altergeist")
Semi-Finalist: Matteo Giugni ("Live☆Twin Spright")

2019[]

Date: 28 - 30 June 2019
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Attendance: 1818
Ref: ^[4]
Champion: Gabriel Soussi ("Salamangreat")
Runner-Up: Samir Bachar ("Salamangreat")
Semi-Finalist: Herman Hansson ("Danger! Thunder Dragon Link")
Semi-Finalist: Jake Quinsee ("Orcust")

2018[]

Date: 7 - 8 July 2018
Location: Berlin, Germany
Attendance: 1623
Ref: ^[5]
Champion: Luke Parkes ("Gouki")
Runner-Up: Francesco Simoncelli ("Sky Striker Trickstar")
Semi-Finalist: Alessandro Garanzini ("Sky Striker Mekk-Knight Trickstar")
Semi-Finalist: Nicolas Mayer ("Sky Striker Trickstar")

2017[]

Date: 24 - 25 June 2017
Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
Attendance: 1304
Ref: ^[6]
Champion: Marcello Barberi ("Zoodiac")
Runner-Up: Michael Forner ("Zoodiac")
Semi-Finalist: Petros Markantonakis ("Zoodiac")
Semi-Finalist: Tom Paine ("Zoodiac")

2016[]

Date: 16 - 17 July 2016
Location: Berlin, Germany
Attendance: 1413
Ref: ^[7]
Champion: Samir Bachar ("Majespecter Dracoslayer Performapal")
Runner-Up: Carmelo Buttiglieri ("Phantom Knights Burning Abyss")
Semi-Finalist: Lorenzo Roma ("Phantom Knights Burning Abyss")
Semi-Finalist: Finn Bakewell ("Odd-Eyes Dracoslayer Performapal")

2015[]

Date: 4 - 5 July 2015
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Attendance: 785
Ref: ^[8]
Champion: Ido Marcus ("Shaddoll")
Runner-Up: Jörg Müller ("Nekroz")
Semi-Finalist: Riccardo Loggia ("Burning Abyss")
Semi-Finalist: Alessandro Di Patria ("Burning Abyss")

2014[]

Date: 28 - 29 June 2014
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 1057
Ref: ^[9]
Champion: Eugen Heidt ("Atlantean Mermail")
Runner-Up: Marcel Burri ("Lightsworn Dragon Ruler")
Semi-Finalist: Andrea Zenari ("Bujin")
Semi-Finalist: Niccolo Mazzoleni ("Spellbook")

2013[]

Date: 29 - 30 June 2013
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Attendance: 1142
Ref: ^[10]
Champion: Chris Bountaloudis ("Spellbook")
Runner-Up: Michel Grüner ("Dragon Ruler")
Semi-Finalist: Valerio Rozza ("Dragon Ruler")
Semi-Finalist: Sergio Soldani ("Spellbook")

2012[]

Date: 7 - 8 July 2012
Location: Milan, Italy
Attendance: 865
Ref: ^[11]
Champion: Stefano Memoli ("Wind-Up")
Runner-Up: Michail Paraschos ("Chaos Dragon")
Semi-Finalist: Angel Matas ("Inzektor")
Semi-Finalist: Joshua Schmidt (Wind-Up)

2011[]

Date: 16 - 17 July 2011
Location: Madrid, Spain
Attendance: 580
Ref: ^[12]
Champion: Michel Grüner ("Tengu Plant")
Runner-Up: Sami Sekkoum ("Gravekeeper's")
Semi-Finalist: Raul Fernandez ("Worm")
Semi-Finalist: Luke Lennard ("X-Saber")

2010[]

Date: ?
Location: Birmingham, UK
Attendance: 500+
Ref: ^[13]
Champion: Rodrigo Togores ("Frog FTK")
Runner-Up: Stephan Sluis ("Infernity")
Semi-Finalist: Sebastien Gonzalez ("X-Saber")
Semi-Finalist: Stefano Memoli ("Anti-Meta")

2009[]

Date: ?
Location: Lille, France
Attendance: ?
Ref: ^[14]
Champion: Vittorio Wiktor ("Cat Synchro")
Runner-Up: Eduard Alvarez
Semi-Finalist: Sebastien Gonzalez
Semi-Finalist: Sharief Mahomedradja

2008[]

Date: ?
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Attendance: 245
Ref: ^[15]
Champion: Vasilis Boulbasakos ("Gladiator Beast")
Runner-Up: Claudio Kirchmair ("DAD Return")
Semi-Finalist: David Dursun ("DAD Perfect Circle")
Semi-Finalist: Terence Figueiredo ("Destiny Hero DAD")

2007[]

Date: 30 June - 1 July 2007
Location: Turin, Italy
Attendance: 688
Ref: ^[16]
Champion: Davide Bellocchio ("Destiny Hero Beatdown (T-Hero)")
Runner-Up: Alessandro Nunziato ("Trooper Monarch")
Semi-Finalist: Mattia Sarpa ("Destiny Hero Beatdown (T-Hero)")
Semi-Finalist: Oliver Schmidt-Voss ("Machine Monarch")

2006[]

Date: 1 - 2 July 2006
Location: Bochum, Germany
Attendance: 240+
Ref: ^[17]
Champion: Vincent Wielandt ("Chaos Return")
Runner-Up: Adrian Madaj ("Recruiter Chaos Decree")
Semi-Finalist: Donato Mancini ("Chaos Return")
Semi-Finalist: Dario Longo ("Chaos Decree")

References[]

[1] ttps://www.yugioh-card.com/eu/de/2024-european-wcq-standings-pairings/

[2] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHwvf6ej-4I

[3] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5vHN4ILGMA

[4] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20211024175955/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/2019-european-championship/

[5] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20211024184019/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/2018-european-championship/

[6] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20211028175510/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/2017-european-championship/

[7] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731093151/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/2016-european-championship/

[8] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731075348/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/2015-european-championship/

[9] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731093227/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/wcq-european-championship-2014/

[10] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731091815/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/wcq-european-championship-2013/

[11] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731090057/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/wcqec2012/

[12] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731084610/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/wcq-european-championship-2011/

[13] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20210731083421/https://coverage.yugioh-card.com/event/wcq-continental-championships/wcqec2010/

[14] ttps://www.pojo.biz/board/showthread.php?t=714317&page=13

[15] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090927171200/http://www.etcg.de/coverages/coverage/show/Yu-Gi-Oh-Europameisterschaft-2008/

[16] ttp://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh8544.html?tabid=61&EventId=184

[17] ttp://kperovic.com/metagame/yugioh9696.html?tabid=61&EventId=146

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