Image source, Getty Images

The EuroHockey Championships take place every two years with men's and women's tournaments which involve the eight best teams from around the continent.

This year’s contest is being held in Antwerp, Belgium and the men's edition includes England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland as they aim not only to win the coveted title but also to secure automatic qualification for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

While the champions will be on their way to Japan, the bottom two teams will suffer relegation to the EuroHockey Championship II, and will be replaced by the top two teams from that tournament for the 2021 edition.

England are the only one of the home nations to have won the men's tournament, doing so in the Netherlands in 2009, but Ireland finished third in 2015, beating England 4-2 in the third-place playoff. Wales and Scotland both earned promotion from EuroHockey II in 2017. Germany are the most successful side in EuroHockey history, with eight men's titles since the competition began in 1970.

The eight teams are divided into two pools of four, who will compete in a round robin before the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals. The bottom two teams in each group will drop into Pool C, where they will play off to avoid relegation.

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The Blue Sticks will be without the services of Chris Grassick thanks to injury, but Gareth Hall has been able to call up many experienced players including 133-cap veteran Alan Forsyth, who captains the side.

Talented 18-year-old Cammy Golden has been brought into the team after helping Scotland’s U21 side to win the EuroHockey Championships II last month.

Gareth Hall’s men are contesting their first EuroHockey Championships in the top division since suffering relegation in 2005 and will be hoping to emulate the feats of their women’s team following their victorious EuroHockey Championships II campaign.

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Ireland take on Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands in Pool B as they look to seal a place at the Olympics next year.

Shane O’Donoghue, who top-scored for Ireland in their 2015 campaign and scored twice in the third-place play-off against England, is named in the squad alongside Eugene Magee, who has racked up a remarkable 233 caps for the Green Machine going into the tournament.

Ireland come into the competition ranked 11 in the world but after reaching the semi-finals in both 2015 and 2017, can feel confident about their chances of upsetting Germany or the Netherlands.

The BBC will have live coverage of all of the home nations’ matches in both the men’s and women’s competitions, as well as the semi-finals and finals.

All of the matches will be available to watch on the BBC Sport website and app as well via the BBC iPlayer, where you can also watch the matches back on catch-up.

Click here for the full schedule for both the men’s and women’s matches – below is the list of England and Wales men’s matches you can watch on the BBC.

Sunday 18 August

12:30-14:30 – Spain v Wales, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

17:00-19:00 – England v Belgium, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

Tuesday 20 August

12:30-14:30 – Spain v England, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

20:30-22:30 – Belgium v Wales, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

Thursday 22 August

17:00-19:00 - 1st Pool A v 2nd Pool B, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

19:30-21:30 - 1st Pool B v 2nd Pool A, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

Saturday 24 August

19:30-21:30 - Men's Final, BBC Sport website and app & Connected TV

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#GetInspired

Hockey is in some ways like football. It's an 11 a-side team game, where the aim is to score a goal in the opposing team's net.

There are different variations of the game, so hockey is for everyone, regardless of age, ability or gender. There's also a real social side, with a culture of team bonding off the field.

Play Hockey, external is a good place to start for those who are new to the game or interested in coming back to it after years away. Simply type in your postcode to locate your nearest club.