Dang QIU leads Germany's seven-player squad at 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana

The German table tennis team will compete at the 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana with a seven-player squad combining experience and youth. Dang QIU, the 2026 European men's singles champion, will lead the team. The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) announced the official line-up, which includes Dang QIU, Benedikt DUDA, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Patrick FRANZISKA, Andre BERTELSMEIER, Wim VERDONSCHOT and Kay STUMPER. Dang QIU, 29, won the Men's Singles title in Munich in 2026, Mixed Doubles gold in Warsaw in 2026 and Team gold in Cluj-Napoca in 2026. He added Team bronze at the 2026 European Championships in Zadar and was runner-up at the Europe Top 16 in 2026. At the 2026 European Games in Kraków-Małopolska, he collected two gold medals. He was also part of Germany's silver-medal-winning team at the 2026 World Championships in Chengdu and won Mixed Team bronze at the 2026 World Cup. QIU arrives in Ljubljana after winning the WTT Star Contender Astana, defeating reigning European champion Alexis LEBRUN on the way. He said every victory gives confidence, but he must keep working hard because the cards are reshuffled every day. Benedikt DUDA reached the Men's Singles final at the European Championships in Linz two years ago, finishing silver behind Alexis LEBRUN. The 32-year-old has two European Team titles from 2026 and 2026 and won bronze at the Europe Top 16 this year. He admitted that after rising to world No. 8, he listened to too many opinions and dropped in the ranking. He now wants to follow his own path again. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, 38, won the European Men's Singles title in 2026 and 2026 and has eight European Team titles. He returned to the Singles podium with bronze in Linz in 2026. With six Olympic medals, OVTCHAROV still believes he can beat anyone. His victory over Truls Möregardh a few weeks ago gave him confidence. His goal is to win another medal and go further after the semi-finals. Patrick FRANZISKA, 34, is a former Europe Top 16 champion and has won four European Team titles. He also claimed European Men's Doubles gold in 2026. Franziska says the European Championships are very competitive and difficult to predict. He plans to take the tournament round by round. Two young players earned their places through the 2026 European Under 21 Championships. European Under 21 champion Andre BERTELSMEIER reached the Round of 16 on his senior European Championship debut in 2026. He believes he can challenge leading players, but notes the depth of quality in Europe is very high. Wim VERDONSCHOT, the Under 21 runner-up, will make his first senior European Championships appearance. He wants to get through qualification and see how far he can go. Kay STUMPER completes Germany's squad. He is already a European Team champion and World Championships Team silver medallist. STUMPER will make his European Individual Championships debut in Ljubljana and wants to play as well as possible. In doubles, Dang QIU will partner Benedikt DUDA in Men's Doubles, while Patrick FRANZISKA teams up with Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. QIU admitted that he and DUDA are a world-class pair but still missing a European Championships medal. He hopes it will finally happen in Ljubljana. Germany's balanced squad, built around experienced champions and hungry young players, makes them one of the teams to watch at the 2026 European Championships.