Seven compass-supported talents will compete at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar, Portugal, from 10–19 July. Two of them, Siri Benjegård (Sweden) and Görkem Öcal (Türkiye), top the European U15 singles rankings and are among the favourites for the singles titles. Adela Brhelova (Czechia) and Ladimir Mayorov (Spain) are also ranked among the contenders for singles medals.

The European Youth Championships (EYC) is one of the most prestigious events in European table tennis for young players. First held in 1955, the championships have taken place annually with only four interruptions, the most recent being in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, many players who later went on to become senior stars first made their mark at the EYC.

The 2026 European Youth Championships will be held in Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, in the northwest of the country near the Atlantic coast. The championships feature team, singles, doubles and mixed doubles events for both boys and girls in the U15 and U19 age categories.

In addition, consolation events are organised for players eliminated in the qualifying stages or in the first round of the singles competition.

The team events will be played from 10–14 July, followed by the singles, doubles and mixed doubles events, which conclude on 19 July, the final day of the championships.

At last year’s European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Czechia, compass-supported Danilo Faso (Italy) dominated the U15 competition, winning gold in the singles, team and boys’ doubles events. It will be interesting to see how he performs in his first year in the U19 category. Görkem Öcal, who finished runner-up in the U15 singles last year, is eager to go one step further this time.

Siri Benjegård was the U15 singles runner-up two years ago and is also aiming for gold in Portugal. The same applies to third seed Adela Brhelova and reigning European U13 champion Ladimir Mayorov. Meanwhile, European U13 Championships semi-finalist Joel Isaksson and quarter-finalist Louis Fegerl (Austria) are ranked 10th and 18th, respectively, in the current European U15 rankings, meaning that a title run by either player would be a major surprise.

“I am particularly looking forward to the U15 competition and hope the compass players can deliver strong performances,” said Evelyn Simon, expert coach at compass. “I think it is possible that Görkem and Ladimir could meet in the boys’ final, and that Siri and Adela could contest the girls’ final. It will also be exciting to see whether traditionally dominant countries such as France and Romania maintain their dominance this year or whether other nations can challenge them.”