Little League World Series in Europe

Europe first participated in the Little League World Series in 1960. Teams from Europe were given a berth in the LLWS each year between 1960 and 2000 (with the exception of the temporary ban of international teams in 1975). In 2001, the region was split into two co-terminus regions: Europe (later EMEA) Region and Transatlantic Region. The Europe Region comprised mostly native European teams while the Transatlantic Region comprised mostly American expatriates. This distinction was eliminated in 2008; from 2008 to 2012, teams made up of either native Europeans or American expatriates were eligible to qualify from the Europe Region.

Europe and Africa Little League Championship
Most recent season or competition:
2023 Little League World Series qualification
SportBaseball
Founded1960 (1960)
CountriesEuropean and African
Most recent
champion(s)		Czech Republic South Czech Republic Little League, Brno, Czech Republic
Most titlesSaudi Arabia Arabian American Little League, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (17)

Starting with the 2013 LLWS, the region was renamed the Europe and Africa Region. African countries were added as a result of a major reorganization of the international (non–U.S.) regions. This move was triggered by Little League's announcement that Australia would receive its own LLWS berth starting in 2013. Two Middle Eastern countries, Israel and Turkey, have been part of European regions since they instituted Little League programs, as they were then members of the European zone of the International Baseball Federation and remain in the same zone under baseball's modern international governing body, the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Israel and Turkey have stayed in the renamed Europe and Africa Region to this day.[1]

No team from the European region has ever reached the final of the Little League World Series. The best finishes for a European team occurred in 1979, 1993 and 1994, when European teams reached the semifinals. Aviano, Italy, made it that far — in the 8-team format — in 1979. Kaiserslautern, Germany and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia made the International final in back-to-back years in 1993 and 1994.

Europe and Africa Region Countries

European champions (1960–2000)
YearChampionCityLLWSRecord
1960Berlin Command LLWest Germany BerlinSixth Place1–2
1961Pirmasens Housing Area LLWest Germany PirmasensEighth Place0–3
1962Poitiers Post LLFrance PoitiersSixth Place1–2
1963İzmir LLTurkey İzmirFourth Place0–2
1964Wiesbaden LLWest Germany Wiesbaden Air Force BaseEighth Place0–3
1965Rota LLSpain RotaEighth Place0–3
1966Rhein-Main LLWest Germany Rhein-Main Air BaseSeventh Place1–2
1967Rota LLSpain RotaSeventh Place (tie)0–2
1968Wiesbaden LLWest Germany Wiesbaden Air Force BaseEighth Place0–3
1969Wiesbaden LLWest Germany Wiesbaden Air Force BaseSixth Place1–2
1970Wiesbaden LLWest Germany Wiesbaden Air Force BaseSixth Place1–2
1971Madrid LLSpain MadridFourth Place1–2
1972Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridEighth Place0–3
1973Bitburg AB LLWest Germany Bitburg Air BaseSeventh Place1–2
1974Athena Airport LLGreece AthensEighth Place0–3
1975No participant
1976Kaiserslautern LLWest Germany KaiserslauternSixth Place1–2
1977Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridSeventh Place1–2
1978Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridEighth Place0–3
1979Aviano Air Base LLItaly AvianoFourth Place1–2
1980Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridEighth Place0–3
1981SHAPE LLBelgium WaterlooEighth Place0–3
1982Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridFifth Place2–1
1983Arabian Gulf LLSaudi Arabia Al KhobarSeventh Place1–2
1984Brussels Sports Association LLBelgium BrusselsSeventh Place1–2
1985Arabian Gulf LLSaudi Arabia Al KhobarEighth Place0–3
1986Torrejon Air Base LLSpain MadridEighth Place0–3
1987Aramco LLSaudi Arabia DhahranFifth Place (tie)1–1
1988Aramco LLSaudi Arabia DhahranFifth Place2–1
1989Aramco LLSaudi Arabia DhahranSixth Place1–2
1990Falcon LLWest Germany Ramstein Air BaseSeventh Place (tie)0–2
1991Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia DhahranEighth Place0–3
1992Kaiserslautern LLGermany Kaiserslautern4th Place, Group Stage0–3
1993Kaiserslautern LLGermany KaiserslauternThird Place (tie)2–2
1994Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia DhahranThird Place (tie)2–2
1995Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd Place, Group Stage1–2
1996Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran4th Place, Group Stage0–3
1997Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd Place, Group Stage1–2
1998Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd Place, Group Stage1–2
1999Ramstein American LLGermany Ramstein Air Base4th Place, Group Stage0–3
2000Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd Place, Group Stage1–2

Europe/Europe, Middle East & Africa Region (2001–2007)

In 2001, with the LLWS expanding to sixteen teams, the European region split into two co-terminous regions. The Europe region consisted of teams that were primarily made up of players native to each country; no team could have more than three players from the United States, Canada, or Japan. The Europe region was named the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region between 2004 and 2007; however, no Middle Eastern or African team participated in qualifiers for the EMEA Series berth (although Kenya sent a team to the European qualifier in 2001[2] and South Africa did the same in 2003[3]). In 2008, Little League removed the native players rule and split the EMEA and Transatlantic region into the Europe and Middle East-Africa regions. The following teams represented the European region after 2000:

YearChampionCityLLWSRecord
2001Khovrino LLRussia Moscow4th place, Pool D0–3
2002Khovrino LLRussia Moscow4th place, Pool D0–3
2003Khovrino LLRussia Moscow3rd place, Pool D1–2
2004Kutno LLPoland Kutno4th place, Pool C0–3
2005Brateevo LLRussia Moscow4th place, Pool C0–3
2006Brateevo LLRussia Moscow4th place, Pool D0–3
2007Windmills LLNetherlands Apeldoorn4th place, Pool D0–3

Transatlantic Region (2001–2007)

The Transatlantic region encompassed the same territory as the Europe/EMEA region, but consisted of teams that were made up of at least 51% American, Canadian, or Japanese citizens.

Regional championship

Below are the champions of the Transatlantic region, along with participants for each year. The year's winner is indicated in green.

Year AustriaAustria BelgiumBelgium EnglandEngland GermanyGermany ItalyItaly NetherlandsNetherlands Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia SpainSpain United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
2001 Vienna LL
Vienna		 Belgium Int'l LL
Brussels		 London Area Youth LL
London		 Eifel LL
Bitburg/Spangdahlem		 Naples LL
Naples		 No Participant Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 Rota LL
Rota		 No Participant
2002 N/A
Austria		 N/A
Belgium		 N/A
England		 N/A
Germany		 N/A
Italy		 N/A
Netherlands		 Arabian American LL
Dharhan		 N/A
Spain		 No Participant
2003 AIBC Little League
Vienna		 SHAPE and Waterloo LL
Brussels		 London Area Youth
London		 Ramstein LL
Ramstein		 Naples LL
Naples		 Brunssum/Schinnen LL
Brunssum		 Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 Rota LL
Rota		 No Participant
2004 No Participant SHAPE and Waterloo LL
Brussels		 London Area Youth
London		 Ramstein American LL
Ramstein		 Naples LL
Naples		 Geilenkirchen-American/Brunssum/Schinnen LL
Brunssum/Geilenkirchen		 Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 Madrid LL
Madrid		 No Participant
2005 No Participant SHAPE and Brussels LL
Brussels		 East Anglia LL
Suffolk		 Ramstein LL
Ramstein		 Naples LL
Naples		 Brunssum/Schinnen LL
Brunssum		 Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 Rota LL
Rota		 No Participant
2006 No Participant SHAPE and Waterloo LL
Brussels		 London Area Youth LL
London		 Ramstein LL
Ramstein		 Naples LL
Naples		 No Participant Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 No Participant Dubai LL
Dubai
2007 No Participant No Participant London Area Youth LL
London		 Stuttgart American LL
Stuttgart		 Naples LL
Naples		 No Participant Arabian American LL
Dhahran		 No Participant Dubai LL
Dubai

LLWS performance
YearChampionCityLLWSRecord
2001Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd place, Pool C1–2
2002Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd place, Pool C2–1
2003Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd place, Pool C1–2
2004Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran3rd place, Pool D1–2
2005Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran4th place, Pool D0–3
2006Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia DhahranInt'l Semifinal2–2
2007Arabian American LLSaudi Arabia Dhahran4th place, Pool C0–2

Europe Region (2008–2012)

From 2008 to 2012, Europe had its own region.

Regional Championships

Below are the champions of the Europe region, along with participants for each year. The year's winner is indicated in green. A Dash, "-", indicates country had no participant that year.

Year BelarusBelarus BelgiumBelgium BulgariaBulgaria Czech RepublicCzech Republic EnglandEngland GermanyGermany HungaryHungary Republic of IrelandIreland ItalyItaly LithuaniaLithuania MoldovaMoldova NetherlandsNetherlands PolandPoland SerbiaSerbia SwedenSweden TurkeyTurkey UkraineUkraine
2008 - Brussels LL
Brussels		 Dupnitsa LL
Dupnitsa		 South Moravia LL
South Moravia		 London Area Youth LL
London		 Baden Wuerttemberg LL
Mannheim		 - Ireland LL
Dublin		 Emilia LL
Emilia		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 Kvint LL
Tiraspol		 Windmills Utrecht LL
Utrecht		 BUKS Gepardy
Zory LL
Zory		 - Malardalen LL
Malardalen		 Turkiye LL
Istanbul		 Kirovograd Center/Nove Celo LL
Kirovograd
2009 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 - Dupnitsa LL
Dupnitsa		 South Moravia LL
South Moravia		 London Area Youth LL
London		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 - - Marche LL
Marche		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 - Alkmaar LL
Alkmaar		 Żory/Rybnik/
Jastrzębie LL
Slask		 - - Mediterranean LL
Istanbul		 Kirovograd Center/Nove Celo LL
Kirovograd
2010 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Flanders East LL
Antwerp		 - South Moravia LL
South Moravia		 London Youth Area LL
London		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 - - Friuli Venezia Giulia LL
Friuli V.G.		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 Kvint LL
Tiraspol		 Kennemerland LL
Haarlem		 Zory/Jastrzebie/
Rybnik LL
Slask		 - - - Kirovograd Center LL
Kirovograd
2011 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Flanders West LL
Flanders		 - South Moravia LL
South Moravia		 London Area Youth LL
London		 - - - Emilia LL
Emilia		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 Kvint LL
Tiraspol		 Rotterdam LL
Rotterdam		 Kutno LL
Kutno		 - Stockholm LL
Stockholm		 - Kirovograd Center LL/Nove Celo LL
Kirovograd
2012 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Flanders East LL
Antwerp		 - South Moravia LL
Prague		 London Area Youth LL
London		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 MOBSSZ Debrecen/Janossomorja LL
Budapest/
Debrecen/
Jánossomorja		 - Lazio LL
Lazio		 Kaunas LL
Kaunas		 - Nord-Holland LL
Alkmaar		 Kutno LL
Kutno		 Serbia LL
Belgrad		 - - Kirovograd Center LL
Kirovograd

LLWS Performance
YearChampionCityLLWSRecord
2008Emilia LLItaly Emilia4th place, Pool C0–3
2009KMC American LLGermany Kaiserslautern4th place, Pool D0–3
2010KMC American LLGermany Ramstein ABGroup Stage1–2
2011Rotterdam LLNetherlands RotterdamRound 10–3
2012KMC American LLGermany Ramstein ABRound 10–3

Europe and Africa Region (2013–)

As noted above, the Europe Region was expanded to include Africa in 2013. Results are as of the 2017 Little League World Series.

Europe-Africa Qualifier

Starting in 2018, a qualification tournament was added into the Europe and Africa regional tournament as a way of expanding for other countries and teams to be involved. Ten teams have an automatic bid into the regional tournament based on participation and enrollment figures. Additional countries wishing to enter the tournament are placed into the qualifier tournament. The format of the qualifier tournament is a round robin with four teams advancing to an elimination round where the two semifinal winners advanced to the double-elimination regional tournament.

YearTeamsFinal 4Semifinalists
(Advanced to Regional)		Qualifier Tournament
Champions
2018Austria Austria
Belarus Belarus
Croatia Croatia
Hungary Hungary
Poland Poland
Switzerland Switzerland		 1  Austria
2  Hungary
3  Belarus
4  Croatia		  Austria
 Belarus		 Championship was
canceled due to
inclement weather.
2019Belgium Belgium
Croatia Croatia
Hungary Hungary
Poland Poland
Switzerland Switzerland		 1 Croatia Croatia
2 Switzerland Switzerland
3 Belgium Belgium
4 Hungary Hungary		 Croatia Croatia
Belgium Belgium		Croatia Croatia

Regional Championships

Below are the champions of the Europe and Africa, along with participants for each year. The year's winner is indicated in green. A Dash, "-", indicates country had no participant that year.

Year AustriaAustria BelarusBelarus BelgiumBelgium CroatiaCroatia Czech RepublicCzech Republic FranceFrance GermanyGermany HungaryHungary ItalyItaly LithuaniaLithuania MoldovaMoldova NetherlandsNetherlands PolandPoland RomaniaRomania SerbiaSerbia SpainSpain SwitzerlandSwitzerland UgandaUganda United KingdomUnited Kingdom UkraineUkraine
2013 East Austria LL
Vienna		 Sugar Storm LL
Skidel		 - - South Moravia LL
Brno		 Haute Normandie LL
Rouen		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 - Emilia LL
Emilia		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 - Rotterdam LL
Rotterdam		 - - Serbia LL
Belgrade		 - - - London Area Youth LL
London		 Rivne LL
Rivne
2014 - Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Flanders East LL
Antwerp		 - South Moravia LL
Brno		 Aquitaine LL
Aquitaine		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 - Emilia LL
Emilia		 Vilnus LL
Vilnus		 Kvint LL
Tiraspol		 Kennemerland LL
Haarlem		 BUKS
GepardyŻory LL
 - Serbia LL
Belgrade		 Catalunya LL
Catalunya		 - - London Area Youth LL
London		 Kirovograd LL
Kirovograd
2015 East Austria LL
Vienna		 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Brussels LL
Brussels		 - South Moravia LL
Brno		 - KMC American LL
Ramstein		 Central LL
Budapest		 Emilia LL
Emilia		 - Kvint LL
Tiraspol		 Rotterdam LL
Rotterdam		 Zory/
Jastrzebie/
Rybnik LL
 - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 - AVRS Secondary School LL
Kampala		 London Youth Baseball LL
London		 Kirovograd Center LL
Kirovograd
2016 Austria East LL
Vienna		 Brest Zubrs LL
Brest		 Flanders East LL
Antwerp		 Croatia North LL
Zagreb		 South Czech Republic LL
Brno		 Ile-de-France 2 LL
Paris		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 Central/
Eastern LL
Budapest		 Emilia LL
Emilia		 Kaunas LL
Kaunas		 - Kennemerland LL
Haarlem		 - - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 - - London Youth Baseball LL
London		 Kirovograd Center LL
Kirovograd
2017 East Austria LL
Vienna		 Sugar Storm LL
Skidel		 Flanders West LL
Brussels		 Croatia North LL
Zagreb		 South Czech Republic LL
Brno		 - KMC American LL
Ramstein		 Central/
Eastern LL
Budapest		 Emilia LL
Emilia		 - - Den Haag LL
The Hague		 Zory/
Rybnik/
Jastrzebie LL
 CSS Calarasi LL
Calarasi		 - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 - - London Youth Baseball LL
London		 Rivne LL
Rivne
2018 East Austria LL
Vienna		 Sugar Storm LL
Skidel		 Brussels LL
Brussels		 - Northwest Czech Republic LL
Prague		 Ile-De-France LL
Paris		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 - Friuli Venezia Giulia LL
Ronchi dei Legionari		 Vilnius LL
Vilnius		 - Kennemerland LL
Haarlem		 - - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 - - London LL
London		 Kirovograd Center LL
Kirovograd
2019 Austria East LL
Vienna		 Sugar Storm LL
Skidel		 Brussels LL
Brussels		 Croatia North LL
Karlovac		 South Czech Republic LL
Brno		 Ile-De-France LL
Paris		 KMC American LL
Ramstein		 Central LL
Budapest		 Emilia Romagna LL
Bologna		 Kaunas LL
Kaunas		 - Amsterdam LL
Amsterdam		 Kedzierzy Kozle LL
 - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 - - South/East London LL
London		 Kyiv Baseball School LL
Kyiv
2022 East Austria LL
Vienna		 - - Croatia North LL
Sisak		 South Czech Republic LL
Brno		 - - - Emilia Romagna LL
Bologna		 - - Kennemerland LL
Haarlem		 - - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 Switzerland East/West LL
Basel		 - London LL
London		 Odesa/Mykolaiv/Kyiv LL
Odesa/Mykolaiv/Kyiv
2023 East Austria LL
Vienna		 - - Croatia North LL
Sisak		 South Czech Republic LL
Brno		 SUD LL
Nice		 South-East Germany LL
Munchen		 - Veneto LL
Verona		 - - Midden-Nederland LL
Utrecht		 - - - Catalunya LL
Barcelona		 Switzerland East/West LL
Basel		 - London LL
London		 Kyiv Baseball School LL
Kyiv

LLWS Performance
YearChampionCityLLWSRecord
2013South Moravia LLCzech Republic BrnoRound 11–2
2014South Moravia LLCzech Republic BrnoRound 10–3
2015AVRS Secondary School LLUganda KampalaRound 21–2
2016Emilia LLItaly EmiliaRound 10–3
2017Emilia LLItaly EmiliaRound 10–3
2018Catalunya LLSpain BarcelonaRound 10–3
2019Emilia Romagna LLItaly BolognaRound 10–3
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 crisis [4]
2021No participant
2022Emilia Romagna LLItaly BolognaRound 21–2
2023South Czech Republic LLCzech Republic BrnoRound 10–2

By country

Table includes results from Europe, EMEA, Transatlantic and Europe and Africa regions through the 2023 Little League World Series. Italics indicates team is no longer a part of European region.

CountryEuropean
Championships		Record
in LLWS		PCT
 Saudi Arabia1918–39.316
Germany West Germany/Germany169–39.188
 Spain104–24.143
 Italy62–16.111
 Russia51–14.067
 Czech Republic31–7.125
 Belgium21–5.167
 Netherlands20–6.000
 France11–2.333
 Uganda11–2.333
 Turkey10–2.000
 Greece10–3.000
 Poland10–3.000
Total6838–162.190

See also

References
  1. "Regions Realigned for 2013: Australia to Play in Little League Baseball World Series" (Press release). Little League Baseball. August 29, 2012. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  2. "2001 Little League Baseball". Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  3. "2003 Little League Baseball". Archived from the original on 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  4. "Little League® Cancels 2020 World Series and Region Tournaments". 30 April 2020.
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