Cheb a “benchmark city for sports”, named European City of Sport for 2026

In the upcoming year, the Western-Bohemian city of Cheb will carry the prestigious title of European City of Sport. This was announced in an open letter from the non-profit organization ACES Europe (European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation), addressed to the town’s mayor, Jan Vrba (ANO).

At the end of July, an ACES Europe evaluation committee, led by the organization’s President Gian Francesco Lupatelli, visited Cheb. The aim was to assess the city’s candidacy to join a selection of European cities to carry the prestigious designation. As it turns out, Cheb fit the bill.

Photo: City of Cheb

On Monday, August 11, the city received an open letter from the organization, sharing the official designation as European City of Sport for 2026, and the reasons for it:

“Congratulations on this prestigious recognition, which your city has earned by setting a laudable example of promoting sports for all, as a means of enhancing health, fostering social integration, facilitating education, and promoting respect – all of which align with the core objectives of ACES,” the letter reads.

“Your city has also demonstrated an exemplary sports policy, boasting commendable sports facilities, well-structured programs, and a wide array of activities,” it adds.

The recognition comes much to the delight of Simona Liptáková, spokesperson for the city’s budgeting office:

“The award is a prestigious matter not only for the city, but especially for the athletes, coaches, and sports officials. The city generously supports sports, and the title is a good springboard for obtaining grants for sports and sports infrastructure. And the city’s leadership is aware of this. After all, for this year, it has allocated 21.5 million crowns for these purposes,” she explains.

According to the city’s statistics, 3,200 athletes are registered in Cheb, and can make use of a wide range of amenities, including an ice rink, a football complex, indoor gyms, swimming pools and a modern athletics track.

In the following year, the city shares plans to expand on that. Not per se by investing heavily into the city’s competitive teams, but also by expanding the accessibility of sport in a casual setting, explains Liptáková:

“Whether it is mothers with children or seniors, we want to target a broad audience within our participation in this program and the financial grants that may arise from it. For our city, not only top-level sport is important, but also smaller sports such as cycling or cycle tourism,” she says.

Developing and animating the existing infrastructure is one of the aims of the European City of Sport project. Hugo Alonso, the General Secretary of ACES Europe, points out just how consequential the designation can be:

“It is important in order to boost your possibility of obtaining financial support from the European Union, with which the company closely cooperates on a wide variety of projects,” he says.

Cheb joins a web of around 6,000 cities who are, have been, or will be a European City of Sport. In Czechia, these include the likes of Mariánské Lázně, Tábor, Čelákovice and Jindřichův Hradec. ACES Europe also grants two more prominent distinctions – the European, and World Capitals of Sport. The only Czech city to enjoy either of these titles is Prague, having been named the European Capital for Sport in 2016.

Besides “Capital” status, Cheb is receiving the “highest recognition” possible in 2026, and will be considered “a benchmark city for sports in Europe”, according to ACES Europe’s letter. The city’s representatives are also invited to the awards gala, to be held at the European Parliament in Brussels towards the end of the year.

ACES Europe, based in the Belgian capital, is officially recognized by the European Commission as one of the tools for promoting sport in public spaces, and has been active as a non-profit organization since 2001.