Dubbed as the Champions League of European Cricket, the European Cricket League is the continent’s largest T10 league. It features teams that represent various domestic and club teams from European countries.
The International Cricket Council’s member federation teams participate in this competition. These countries are Russia, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Denmark and Germany.
This tournament aims to promote cricket in Europe and thus adapts The faster format of T10, wherein each innings lasts ten overs. The matches provide quick entertainment due to run-scoring in less time.The European Cricket League was formed in 2018. However, the first tournament was held in 2019. Later, the COVID-19 pandemic causes the cancellation of the events scheduled for 2020 and 2021. The tournament returned as a regular annual event starting from 2022.
The tournament is played in two phases. In the first phase, the 35 participating teams are divided into seven groups, each consisting of five teams. Teams in each group play each other once in the round-robin format. A match win is worth three points and no points are deducted for losing a match. In case of a tie or no result, both teams get a point each. The table toppers after this stage qualify for the championship week.
In the championship week, the seven qualified teams face each other in a round-robin format. At the end of this stage, the top four teams qualify for the knockout rounds. The teams positioned third and fourth contest the eliminator. Teams positioned first and second contest the first qualifier. The loser of this match faces the winner of the eliminator in the second qualifier.
Teams from England, France, Netherlands, Jersey, and Spain have won the title once each as of 2025. The Hornchurch Cricket Club is the only team to reach the finals of the tournament twice, winning it once.
The European Cricket League is broadcasted by the European Cricket Network. Scores, news, and updates of the European tournaments are maintained on this network. It is streamed across 120 countries owing to nearly 40 broadcast media. It is also because this event’s marketing strategies are managed by members of the UEFA Champions League.
