by European Softball Federation
Top six teams of the Women’s Softball European Championship qualify for the Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier. The complete top 6 teams were determined on Wednesday after a nerve-wracking game between the Czech Republic and Ireland. The six qualified national teams are: the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, the Czech Republic, France, and Spain. These six teams will be joined by two teams from Africa and only the winner of the Qualifier will make it to the Olympics in Tokyo 2020. The Qualifier takes place in Utrecht, Netherlands, July 23-27, 2019.
While five of the six teams had their spot for the qualifier more or less secured, Spain had to wait for the final score of the Czech vs Ireland game. Only a Czech win could have helped the Spanish to seize the sixth Qualifier spot. The Czech Republic won 4:3 against Ireland and that determined the 7th place game for Ireland vs Greece, while Spain makes it to the top 6 and still has a chance to win a medal.
The Netherlands and Great Britain remain undefeated in the tournament. Czech and Italy recorded one loss each.