The European Cricket Championship is a national team event played between European teams. It was established to promote the sport of cricket in the European continent. The first edition of the tournament was held in 2000.
Initially, all teams were divided into different divisions where they would face each other in a round-robin format. Based on their standings they were promoted or relegated to relevant divisions. Division One featured the best European national sides. However, in recent years, all teams participate in a single event.
The current format sees 31 teams participating for the title. England, Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands are officially recognised as ODI-playing nations by the ICC. Thus, they are not allowed to participate with their premier teams and instead feature their “XI” or B-sides.
The 31 teams are divided into six groups of five teams each, with the defending champion directly promoted to the Championship Week. In each group, the top four teams will face each other in knockout rounds as per the page play-off system. The winners of each group make it to the Championship Week.
The Championship Week features seven teams. Following a round-robin stage, the top four teams qualify for the knockout rounds. All matches were initially played in the One Day International format. However, recent editions have been played in the T10 format.
The European Cricket Championship features 109 matches played across four week in September-October. A women’s counterpart event is played in the month of December which lasts for one week and features 25 matches.
