Russtar Arena in Moscow, one of the Fed Cup qualifier venues
The opponents of the Herts Falcons in their 2019 European Federations Cup Qualifier have been announced by the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB). The majority of them are teams from Central and Eastern Europe, with one each from Scandinavia and the Baltic.
This will be the Falcons’ debut in continental club competitions. They booked their European place after finishing as National Baseball League (NBL) runners-up in 2018, losing to the London Mets in the Final. The Mets are also one of the 12 teams who will be competing in this Qualifier.
The games will be played on June 10 to 15, 2019. The two cities which have been awarded the right to host the Federations Cup Qualifiers are the Russian capital, Moscow, and Blagoevgrad in South Western Bulgaria. Herts have been assigned to Blagoevgrad.
It’s a city 60 miles from Sofia, the cultural centre of its region. There are two universities, so plenty of cafes and restaurants, and it hosts several music festivals. The Blagoevgrad Buffaloes baseball team have won a string of national titles.
While Herts would have welcomed the chance to go to one of the host cities of the very successful 2018 World Cup in Russia, Bulgaria is the preferred option from a financial perspective. The Herts Falcons will be raising money to help fund this amazing opportunity, and fans and players alike will be working hard to do that.
Federations Cup Qualifier Lineup
Pool 1 – Moscow, Russia, June 10 – 15, 2019
1) London Mets (GBR)
2) KS Silesia Rybnik (POL)
3) Apollo Bratislava (SVK)
4) Russtar Moscow (RUS)
5) Sofia Blues (BUL)
6) Kaunas County (LTU)
Pool 2 – Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, June 10 – 15, 2019
1) Herts Falcons (GBR)
2) Athletic Sofia (BUL)
3) Solvesborg Firehawks (SWE)
4) Utenos Titanai (LTU)
5) CS Atletico Alexandria (ROM)
6) UKS Deby Osielso (POL)
The home of the Blagoevgrad Buffaloes
If British baseball clubs make progress in these international competitions they can look forward to competing in the Champions Cup and the CEB Cup alongside the highest ranked European clubs.
Champions Cup Lineup
Bologna, Italy, June 4 – 8, 2019
1) Curacao Neptunus (NED)
2) L&D Amsterdam (NED)
3) Unipolsai Fortitudo Bologna (ITA)
4) A.S.D. Rimini (ITA)
5) Bonn Capitals (GER)
6) Ostrava Arrows (CZE)
7) Rouen Huskies (FRA)
8) Deurne Spartans (BEL)
CEB Cup Lineup
Brno, Czech Republic, June 5 – 9, 2019
1) Heidenheim Heidekoepfe (GER)
2) Draci Brno (CZE)
3) Valencia Astros (ESP)
4) Zuerich Challengers (SUI)
5) Montigny Cougars (FRA)
6) KNTU Kropivnytsky
7) Minsk (BLR)
8) Vindija Varazdin (CRO)
Federations Cup Lineup
Karlovac, Croatia, June 10 – 15, 2019
1) Dornbirn Indians (AUT)
2) Vienna Metrostars (AUT)
3) Olimpija Karlovac (CRO)
4) Therwil Flyers (SUI)
5) Leksand (SWE)
6) Borgerhout Squirrels (BEL)