Hosts Czech Republic will seek a fifth title in the Men's European Softball Championship that starts tomorrow ©Getty Images

Hosts and defending champions Czech Republic will seek to earn a fifth successive title at the Men’s Softball European Championship that is due to start tomorrow. 

The 15th edition of this biennial competition, postponed from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be staged in Ledenice and Sezimovo Ústí and is scheduled to conclude on Friday (June 26).

The top two finishers will qualify for the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Men’s Softball World Cup 2022.

The eight other teams involved other than the hosts include 2018 silver and bronze medallists, respectively The Netherlands and Denmark.

Also in the mix will be Israel, Slovakia, Sweden, Croatia, Lithuania and France.

The event is set to open tomorrow with The Netherlands meeting Lithuania in Ledenice and Denmark playing Croatia in Sezimovo Ústí.

The hosts’ first opponents tomorrow in Ledenice will be France.     

Spectators will be allowed on the last day of the event.

Since this event began in 1993, the Czech Republic have won it seven times, and The Netherlands three times.

Denmark were gold medallists in 2010.