Dazzling spins, shocking lifts, sequins and stars; Sheffield is set to see it all as the 2026 Figure Skating European Championships arrive in the Steel City.
Between 13-18 January, the biggest continental stars in figure skating will descend on Yorkshire for their final hurrah ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
Six days of competition in men's and women's singles, pairs and ice dance conclude with an epic showpiece finale in the Exhibition of Champions Gala on the Sunday - the 'wow-factor' of figure skating.
The UK last hosted the European Championships back in 2012. Olympic debutant Luke Digby volunteered as a flower boy that time round and will now complete a full-circle moment as a competitor in his home city this time out.
Here is everything you need to know about the biggest figure skating competition in Europe.
Which Team GB athletes are competing in Sheffield
Ice Dance
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson have their sights set on a fourth consecutive European medal in Sheffield.
It comes less than a year after clinching their maiden world medal in Boston, a feat that ended a 40-year wait for a British World Championships medal since Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in 1984.
And that to back-to-back ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medallists (2024 & 2025), including Britain’s first-ever Grand Prix Final medal, and the Beijing 2022 Olympians are in fine form coming into their home competition where all eyes will be on them.
Phebe Bekker and James Hernandez are on the rise and hope to better their 13th place from last year on home ice.
The duo are set to make their Olympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026, and have seen a strong season so far, including an eighth-place finish at Skate America on their senior Grand Prix debut
They skate: Fri 16 Jan (Rhythm Dance) + Sat 17 Jan (Free Dance).
Pairs
Pairs skaters Anastasia Vaipan-Law and Luke Digby secured Great Britain's best European finish in more than three decades last season, with fifth place.
Home hero Digby grew up in Sheffield and learnt to skate on the same ice on which he will now compete against Europe's best.
It means that there is heightened excitement in the air for the pair, and with a topsy-turvy season so far, this is an opportunity to shine before a maiden Olympic Games.
They skate: Wed 14 Jan (Short Program) + Thu 15 Jan (Free Skating).
Women's Singles
Just six months ago, Kristen Spours took a break from the ice due to injury and for her mental health.
Now she is set to take to the floor for the Europeans just weeks before stamping her name into the Olympic records.
At the 2025 Europeans, Spours clinched Britain's best result since 2009 with ninth place.
They skate: Wed 14 Jan (Short Program) + Fri 16 Jan (Free Skating).
Men's Singles
Edward Appleby is a three-time British national champion who will head to Italy for the team event at Milano Cortina 2026.
First off, he is set to dazzle in Sheffield after qualifying for the free skate last time out at Europeans, and finishing inside the top 20.
They skate: Thu 15 Jan (Short Program) + Sat 17 Jan (Free Skating).
Who are the international stars to watch
In 2023, Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii became the first Italian pair skaters to win the European title and the first to win a world medal.
With silver at the recent ISU Grand Prix Final, they were the top European finishers ahead of Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin, who won the overall continental title last season.
Alongside Britain's Fear and Gibson, there is plenty of strong competition in the ice dance as France's Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron continue their rise up the rankings following Grand Final silver last month.
Three-time champions Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri are also back in action and set to sparkle.
Daniel Grassl of Italy will provide a strong battle in the men's singles, having finished fourth at the 2025 Grand Prix Final.
The women's singles looks to be a battle between last year's gold medallist Niina Petrokina of Estonia and Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium.
Where to watch the 2026 European Figure Skating Championships
What better way to watch live sport but live!
Tickets for the championships are still available, and you can find out all the information here.
For those who can't make the trip to Sheffield, then YouTube and the BBC are your go-to action stations.
ISU YouTube will showcase all live action, as well as being available for catch-up.
Whilst selected coverage will be available via BBC Sport and BBCiPlayer, including both ice dance programmes, as well as the pairs and women's free skate.
Sportsbeat 2025