The Olympic legacy plays a key role in this selection. The venues will be the Olympic Aquatics Centre (OAC) and the iconic River Seine. Both venues will showcase the aquatic prowess of European athletes and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the European Championships, which were first held in Budapest, Hungary in 1926. The OAC will be the only permanent venue for the 2024 Games. It will host diving, water polo and artistic swimming. In 2026, it will continue to be a central venue for the pool programme, diving and artistic swimming.

Spectators can look forward to exciting performances in the 10-lane 50m competition pool and the temporary 50m warm-up facility. There will also be a 22x25m diving pool. Top European swimmers, including French World Champions Leon Marchand and Maxime Grousset, are expected to showcase their skills during the Championships.

One of the most notable features of the event will be the inclusion of open water competitions, set against the picturesque backdrop of the River Seine. A special high diving venue will be built with platforms at 27m for men and 20m for women.

Josip Varvodic, First Vice President of European Aquatics, expressed his excitement about hosting this prestigious event just two years after the upcoming Olympic Games, stating that "with the European Championships for 2024 and 2026 now secured, the future of aquatics in Europe looks very bright".

France's Minister for Education, Youth, Sport, and the Olympic Games, Amélie Oudea-Castera, shared her delight: "I am delighted to announce the hosting of the European Championships in 2026, which confirms France's emergence as a major organiser of major international sporting events".

Gilles Sezionale, President of FFN, added: "Our federation is glad to be organising such an event of this magnitude, and what's more, in the Olympic pool. We are honoured to be able to bring the legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to life."