The tournament is an open championship accepting competitors from all countries and is considered one of the most important competitions in the lead-up to the Worlds.
Over the years, the tournament grew significantly in size and prestige, becoming one of the four major IBJJF tournaments, alongside the World Championship, the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and the Brazilian Nationals.
However, after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2021 edition, the tournament relocated to Rome, Italy in 2022.
[4] The IBJJF assigns point weightings to its tournaments to help calculate an athlete's ranking.
[5] Over the years, numerous world champions and high-level competitors have participated in the European Championship.