The Men’s World Floorball Championships 2026 European Qualifications were hosted by Latvia and Slovakia, with a total of 10 teams qualifying for the final round in Tampere this December.
Below is a summary of the events and the teams who qualified (in bold):
EUR2 in Liepaja, Latvia from 3rd – 7th February 2026
Teams: Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Belgium
The top three teams qualified from this event. Czechia were as strong as expected, fielding several young players in their squad for this event. They won all their matches and scored a total of 97 goals, while only conceding 7 in five matches. Vojtech Wiener was the top scorer of the event with a total of 21 points (9 goals and 12 assists), and Czech players dominated the Top 10 positions in the top scorer list.
Germany went into the qualifiers with a new head coach and did what they needed to do to qualify for the WFC 2026. They won four matches and only lost to Czechia. Estonia took third place in this qualification group and qualified for the final round. They also participated in this event with a young squad, having been joined by several former U19 national team players like Karl Eerik Kukk, Rome Andro Moora and Karl Oskar Vikk.
EUR1 in Liepaja, Latvia from 4th – 7th February 2026
Teams: Switzerland, Norway, Great Britain, Netherlands in Group A and Latvia, Slovenia, Hungary, Ukraine in Group B
Switzerland and Latvia won their respective groups and qualified for the final round. These teams met in the last match of the qualification event and Latvia took the win after a penalty shootout. The match between Norway and Slovenia also offered some drama, as the winner would definitely qualify. The result was only decided after a penalty shootout, and Slovenia were unstoppable on penalties, scoring a goal after goal. Final score 4-3 and a win for Slovenia, securing them a spot in Tampere. Norway also qualified as the best fourth-placed team between the EUR1 and EUR3 groups.
EUR3 in Trencin, Slovakia from 5th – 8th February 2026
Teams: Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein in Group D and Slovakia, Poland, France, Austria in Group E
Sweden’s jerseys went missing on their way to Slovakia, but this did not stop the team from winning matches. Sweden were responsible for the biggest scores during these qualification events, winning 44-0 against Liechtenstein and 46-0 against Iceland. They scored 100 goals in total and conceded only 1. Gabriel Kohonen was the top scorer of the event with 30 points (10 goals and 20 assists). Hosts Slovakia won the other group and qualified for the final round.
The last spot in 2026 WFC was decided in the match between Denmark and Poland, and the task was clear – win and qualify, or lose and forget the WFC in Tampere. Denmark understood the assignment and took a clear 11-3 win against Poland, ensuring they will attend yet another World Championships. For the first time since 2014, we will not see Poland at a Men’s World Floorball Championships.