At the European Table Hockey Championship 2026, only European citizens (i.e. holders of passports from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine or the United Kingdom) can participate. Players from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to participate in the European Table Hockey Championship 2026 due to the decisions of the ITHF delegates in 2022 and 2023. Maximum numbers of participants from each country are stated in the following table. Maximum numbers of participants from the organizing country are stated in the brackets.

The top 20 players in the World Table Hockey Tour 2025/26 ranking directly qualify for the Open category of the European Table Hockey Championship 2026 held. Also, the top 3 veterans, the top 3 superveterans, the top 3 juniors, the top 3 kids and the top 3 women in the WTHT 2025/26 ranking directly qualify for the veterans, superveterans, juniors, kids, women categories respectively. Direct qualification is not transferable to any player in a lower position in the WTHT ranking.

Players in top 20 in the open category in the ITHF World Ranking as of 1 May 2026 are automatically qualified for the European Table Hockey Championship 2026 in the open category without having to qualify through a national or international qualification tournament.

Defending champions in each category can participate (the only exception is the juniors and the kids categories, where the defending champion can participate only if he/she fulfils the age requirement). All former champions in the Open category can participate in the Open category.

If a player wants a wild card, he/she should apply at his national federation, which could decide to give a place from its national quota to this player.