At the last European Baseball Championship in September 2021, the Dutch won the cup while the French lost their spot in the competition (finishing 15th). The French had to go through a two-phase qualification process to join the sixteen teams eligible for the 2023 European Cup. In July 2022, they completed half the journey by defeating Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Ireland. The French were supposed to face Switzerland and Hungary to secure their qualification.
However, the WBSC Europe Executive Board decided to exclude (renew) all Russian and Belarusian teams, players, coaches, and officials from the 2023 competitions. This decision follows the ongoing illegal invasion of Ukrainian territory by Russia, which began on February 24, 2022.
This decision cancels the final qualification phase and automatically qualifies France for the European Cup. The event will take place in the Czech Republic across five different cities in September 2023 (from September 24 to October 1). This will impact the schedule of the French Division 1 competition. Indeed, the Division 1 finals will be held before the European Cup, specifically during the first two weekends of September.
Unlike the World Baseball Classic, the French team will be composed exclusively of French players. These more logical rules will impact teams like Great Britain or Israel.
The draw took place in the presence of WBSC Europe president Krunoslav Karin, WBSC Europe vice-president for baseball and ABC president Petr Ditrich, tournament director Jan Jirovský, Czech Football Federation president Petr Fousek, and representatives of the tournament participants.
With Russia and Belarus eliminated from the European Championship, the three teams from the qualification tournaments secured their spots. The sixteen participants were divided into four performance tiers. France is currently positioned in the lowest European tier.
1st tier: Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Spain
2nd tier: Czech Republic, Great Britain, Croatia, Belgium
3rd tier: Germany, Austria, Sweden, Ukraine
4th tier: Greece, France, Hungary, Switzerland
The final draw resulted in this outcome
France finds itself in Group C with the Dutch, Ukrainians, and Croatians. This draw only allows the French to hope for second place in the pool. Indeed, the Netherlands, the clear favorites of this competition, will not relinquish their first place.
France’s coach (Keino Perez) will have to organize a gathering of his players during the season, and the month of June, which was scheduled for this qualification phase, might be a good opportunity.
The Czech team was directly placed in Group A. The first tier was drawn by Petr Ditrich, and among the favorites, he assigned the Czech players to the Spanish team. This will be a rematch of the qualification match for the World Baseball Classic in Regensburg, where the Czech Republic managed to defeat the Spanish team and qualify for the main WBC tournament. Italy will play in Group B, the Netherlands in Group C, and Israel in Group D.
Krunoslav Karin drew the second power tier, Jan Jirovsky the third, and Monique Schmitt from the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation the fourth. Her team will play for the first time at the European Championship, in Group D.
