Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships

The European Athletics Championships are coming to Great Britain for the very first time with athletes from more than 50 nations going head-to-head.

The event is split across two locations: Alexander Stadium 10 – 16 August and Birmingham City Centre 15 – 16 August.

Alexander Stadium 10 – 16 August

• AM sessions each day 10:00/10:30 – 13:00/13:30
• PM sessions each day 18:30/19:00 – 21:30/22:00
• Full competition schedule with exact times: Birmingham 2026 Timetable

Stadium transport arrangements:

• Shuttle buses will operate between Bescot Stadium and Alexander Stadium and between James Watt Queensway and Alexander Stadium.
• Park and walk facilities will be available from Aldridge Road Recreation Ground with a 2 mile walk to the stadium.
• A dedicated taxi rank and private hire drop off/pick-up area on Walsall Road.
• Additional West Midlands Trains services will be operational between Perry Barr station and Birmingham New Street, Rugeley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton.

Birmingham City Centre 15 – 16 August

Road closures will be in place in phases from Friday 14 to Sunday 16 to host the race walks and road races.

On Saturday 15, elite half marathon and full marathon race walks will take place around the Colmore Area with road closures in place around this area from 03:00 and lifted by 15:00.

On Sunday 16, an elite marathon road race around the city will take place followed by a Unity 5km and Unity 1km mass participation race. Road closures will be in place from 03:00 and lifted by 16:30 with the road races passing key landmarks including:

• Broad Street, Centenary Square.
• Jewellery Quarter.
• Chamberlain Clock at Warstone Lane and Vyse Street.
• St Paul’s Square.
• Cathedral Square.

You will still be able to get to where you need to go, but you'll need to plan ahead and allow more time for your journey with diversions in place.

More information about road closures can be found here.

To allow the race walks and road races to take place, various buses will be diverted for the event.

On Saturday 15, the National Express West Midlands bus services: 7, 9, 12, 13, 23, 24, 52, 82, 87, 101, 126, X8, X10, will be subject to diversion and/or bus stop changes from start of service until the routes will re-open approx. 14:30.

For more information on bus changes on Saturday 15, visit National Express’ website here.

On Sunday 16, the National Express West Midlands bus services: 7, 8A/8C, 9, 12, 13, 23, 24, 52, 82, 87, 101, 126, X10, X8 will be subject to diversion and/or bus stop changes from start of service until the routes will re-open approx. 17:30.

For more information on bus changes on Sunday 16, visit National Express’ website here.

Please check with National Express West Midlands via their social media channels - @nxwestmidlands on Facebook and Twitter.

For detailed diversion route information, please visit our Disruptions page.

To allow the road races to take place on Sunday 16, Metro will operate between Wolverhampton and Grand Central from start of service until 16:30. There will be no service from Grand Central and Edgbaston Village during this time on Sunday 16 August. Alternate trams will continue to Millennium Point during this time.

Additional West Midlands Trains services will be operational between Perry Barr station and Birmingham New Street, Rugeley, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. Rail services travelling to and from Alexander Stadium may experience an uplift in passengers.

There will be road closures and diversions in place to allow the race walks and road races in Birmingham City Centre to take place on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16. Road closures along the route will be implemented in phases between Friday 14 and Sunday 16. Plan ahead and check your route. More information on the road closures can be found here.

Stay up to date at disruptions.tfwm.org.uk and follow @WMRoads on Twitter for the latest disruption information.

Please be aware that the below docking stations in Birmingham city centre will be temporarily unavailable during the European Athletics Championships. Bikes and scooters will not be available from these locations for the periods outlined below. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

• 11 – 18 August: Eden Place
• 14 – 17 August: Colmore Row
• 15 – 16 August: Colmore Row, Livery Street, Waterloo Street and Chamberlain Square