Italy won the
inaugural European Baseball Championship in , organized shortly after the CEB was formed.
The Netherlands won the first tournament they competed in, 1956, and the competition has since been dominated by the Dutch and Italians, with
Spain, with two titles, and
Belgium being the only other teams to win a championship. After being an annual competition for five years, it was held every two years. There have been several adjustments to this schedule. Most recently, following a three-year gap after the
2016 championship, the tournament has been held in odd-numbered years beginning in
2019. The
2025 competition was the 38th European championship held. There have been at least 4 teams in each championship, with the field growing to 12 teams in 1997 and 16 teams in 2021. The European championship has served as a qualifying tournament for the
Summer Olympics. Tournament games are also included in
World Baseball Softball Confederation rankings, which determine participation in the
WBSC Premier12. ==Format and qualification==