WFTDA adds English and French streams for European championships

WFTDA is widening the door to its European postseason by giving every game in Namur, Belgium, English and French commentary. The 2026 European Regional Championships will run all weekend with both feeds available for all 17 games, a first for the association and a notable shift in how it packages derby for a multilingual audience.

The move comes through a partnership with Roller Derby Live Stream and the WFTDA Sporfie channel, and WFTDA has tied the rollout directly to the work of its Announcing Development Committee. Created in April 2024 to develop and share best practices for announcers and leagues, the committee has helped expand the pool of voices available for major events. WFTDA credited Hémo and Toxic Lady with recruiting and training French-speaking announcers, which allowed the association to assemble a full French crew for the championships.

That matters beyond convenience. With a stream pass unlocking both language feeds, WFTDA is treating the broadcast as one integrated product, not two separate offerings. For teams, sponsors and newer viewers, the bilingual setup can make a postseason event easier to follow and easier to sell, especially in a region where the sport’s fan base crosses language lines as much as national ones.

The tournament is scheduled for June 12-14 at Centre Namurois des Sports Tabora and is hosted by Namur Roller Derby. WFTDA’s Europe schedule lists three full days of play, from Friday through Sunday, with sessions running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. The bracket opens with London Brawling against Lomme at 10 a.m. Friday and closes with the winner of Game 10 against the winner of Game 12 in the 6 p.m. Sunday finale.

The field gives the broadcast immediate weight. Teams in the draw include Antwerp One Love, Tiger Bay, Nantes Les Duc.hesse.s, Stockholm, Helsinki All Stars, Barcelona Ingles de Acero, Paris All Stars, Toulouse, Rainy City All-Stars and Crime City A-Team, along with London Brawling and Lomme. For fans tracking the road to Malmö, Sweden, where the WFTDA Championships will be held, Namur sits inside a wider 2026 postseason that also includes regional events in Latin America, North America and Oceania.

WFTDA’s announcer-crews page shows the production behind the experiment is substantial. dorkmistress is listed as head announcer for the European Regional Championships, with Toxic Lady and Hémo’ serving as assistant head announcers. WFTDA also described its 2026 postseason announcing and social media group as “the most international” crew it has ever assembled, a phrase that now feels like more than a slogan. In Namur, the organization is testing a model that could shape how future international derby broadcasts reach beyond one language and one kind of viewer.