Podgorica Awaits Its Next Junior Mixed-Team Judo Force

The 2026 Junior European Judo Championships in Podgorica conclude on Sunday, 6 September, with the mixed team competition. After the individual contests, junior judoka will join forces across the men’s and women’s categories to fight for one final title.

France enter the event as the reigning Junior European mixed team champions. They defeated Türkiye in the 2025 final and arrive with further team momentum after winning the Millennium Team European Judo Championships Cadets Mixed Teams Gran Canaria 2026, where Ukraine placed second and Slovenia third.

The French record in Junior European team competition is hard to ignore. France lead the all-time medal table with five gold, four silver and three bronze medals. Russia follow with three gold, one silver and six bronze, while Georgia have won three titles, one silver and three bronze medals.

The team event has developed quickly at junior level. It first appeared in Bucharest in 2014 as separate men’s and women’s competitions, with Georgia taking the first men’s title and Croatia claiming the first women’s crown. The format changed in 2018, when the championships introduced mixed teams, bringing male and female judoka together for a single trophy.

The final day in Podgorica puts national depth and teamwork under the spotlight.

Russia won the first two Junior European mixed team editions in 2018 and 2019. France then collected back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022, before Georgia broke their run in 2023. Azerbaijan beat France in the 2024 final, but France answered in Bratislava a year later to regain the crown.

Only Russia, France, Georgia and Azerbaijan have won the Junior European mixed team title since the format was introduced. That record leaves a clear question for Podgorica: can another nation break into that exclusive group?

Several European teams have already shown they can reach the podium. Germany won bronze in 2018, 2019 and 2025, while the Netherlands collected medals in 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Italy, Portugal, Serbia and Switzerland have also appeared among the mixed team medallists since 2018.

Georgia remain a particularly dangerous contender. Their men’s and women’s squads produced a historic mixed team title at the senior world championships last year, adding another layer of interest to their junior challenge.

Sunday’s contest will close the Podgorica championships with a format built on collective pressure, quick adjustments and national pride. France have the history and the defending title, but the mixed team draw has repeatedly shown that momentum can shift fast.

Source: EJU.net

Image source: EJU / European Judo Union