The big freeze has been and gone, all that maths is finally over, and now the top teams of Europe are packing their gear for Namur. For weeks, we have been shining a spotlight on the incredible Euro Derby Dozen descending on Belgium.
Now, with the first whistle of the 2026 WFTDA European Championships sounding this Friday, 12 June, we have arrived at the final chapter of our series. Saving the absolute top of the tournament for last, we break down the strategy, identity, and unsung heroes of Europe’s current #1 seed, hearing from the skaters and crew themselves.
When discussing the absolute pinnacle of the European rankings, all roads currently lead to the North West of England. Hailing from Manchester, Rainy City Roller Derby is descending on Belgium as the ultimate team to beat. By playing sanctioned blowout games against London and Nantes earlier this season, Rainy City successfully closed a microscopic 4.85-point gap. In doing so, they officially leapfrogged Toulouse to take the #1 spot in Europe. With their veteran blocker rotation proving they can compete at the highest level, they are set to take the track by storm.
Here is the essential intel on the leaders from Manchester:
Home City: Manchester, United Kingdom
Euro Seed: #1
Sanctioned Form: W – W – W – W – W
Team Colours: Purple and White
Vibe: MAKE IT RAIN
Instagram: @rainycityrollerderby
Strategy: Hitting the Peak
With Euro Champs coming up fast, Rainy City’s main focus has been entirely internal, working to hit the postseason in peak competitive condition. Rather than letting the outside noise cloud their vision or overcomplicate things, they’ve spent the last few months testing their systems against high-calibre opponents. When we asked about their prep and focus, they were clear about their collective objective:
“Honestly, Euro Champs! By which we mean, focusing on our game and our prep, trying to hit Regionals at our peak,” the team shared. “Playing as many challenging games as we can. And also enjoying playing together!“
We saw the devastating reality of this preparation during their sanctioned run earlier this season, where they put on a defensive clinic. Against Nantes, they suffocated the opposition by delivering a complete defensive shutout for the first 8 jams of the game, cruising to a definitive 183-86 win. They backed that up with a brutal 237-60 statement win over London, showing zero signs of tournament fatigue.
A massive part of their strategic advantage comes from the sheer force of their collective community, with everyone pitching in to elevate their training. The All Stars receive an incredible amount of support from home, creating an environment that keeps the top roster sharp.
As the team notes: “Shout out to the rest of Rainy City. The Allstars training squad and Reckoning are constantly challenging us when we train and scrim together. Rebels and Rising join the officials to officiate our scrims. The support from everyone is amazing and really galvanising…“
Identity: Devastating Depth
Every team brings a unique vibe to the track, but Rainy City’s signature strength lies in a highly balanced, multi-threat roster built to weather any tactical adjustments an opponent throws at them. They don’t rely on a single skater to generate a downpour. That collective depth means they can flood the track with options. When asked about the signature strength of their lineup, the team pointed directly to their versatile structure:
“Our depth. Our blockers have complementary skills and our jammers are diverse.“
On the defensive line, their core rotation of Penny Block, Lily Gaskell, Rollo, El Nasser, Roberts, F. Batts, and MacBeth provides a masterclass in well-drilled defence. During their previous matchups, they absolutely dismantled opposing strategies, notably holding London’s jammers to a mere 15 points across 23 jams in a single period.
Offensively, their jammer rotation shifts the climate of the game in an instant. Jammers like Black play with smooth composure, dropping crucial 10 point and 12 point jams to split open games against top opponents. While other jammers, like Hazard, bring the thunder with explosive scoring runs, like a spectacular 20 point jam that completely breaks a game wide open.
Photo Credit: @antnrx
Unsung Heroes: Calm in the Chaos
When asked about a specific skater flying under the radar, the team polled the roster and realised that the eye of the storm – the calm at the centre of the chaos – actually lies just on the other side of the track tape.
“I asked around and got a bunch of different answers! So I’m going to actually shout out our bench crew of VK, Bitchy, Oona and Viv,” they revealed. “They work incredibly well together and also keep us in line. You can’t underestimate the impact of that on what happens on track.“
In high-stakes tournament environments, a razor-sharp bench crew is the ultimate weapon for managing clock strategy and keeping the pack disciplined under pressure.
Wearing the Heaviest Crown
Closing that microscopic 4.85-point gap to officially leapfrog Toulouse was a massive milestone, but does sitting at the top of the mountain alter the way Rainy prepares to defend it?
“It doesn’t change our preparation!” the team insists, entirely unphased by the top seed designation. “It’s nice to be ranked #1 but Euro Derby is incredibly strong right now. Wherever we are ranked, we need to focus on our preparation and our game.“
That laser-focus on high level game play didn’t stop once the April 1st cut off locked in the seeding for Namur, either. Rainy City consciously chose to keep their foot down, heading into early May for a massive, late season sanctioned clash against Crime City in London to lock in their competitive mindset.
“Yep, we wanted to play as many tough opponents as we can before Regionals,” Rainy City explained, highlighting their commitment to an accurate global picture. “We play everything sanctioned if we can, because it benefits us all if the rankings reflect where we’re all at! This weekend [@ Brawling’s] was about getting into a Regionals mindset.“
Postseason History: Rainy Record
First Timers (2016)
Rainy City officially burst onto the international Division 1 tournament circuit in 2016, securing a spot at the WFTDA Playoffs in Columbia, South Carolina. Entering the bracket as the #7 seed, they braved a gruelling weekend of high-level games to finish in 6th place, firmly putting Manchester on the global derby map.
International Ascendancy (2018-2019)
Building massive momentum, the All Stars became a formidable staple at WFTDA Playoffs, proving they could handle the climate against the world’s best. They fought their way through intense competitive climates to capture impressive fourth-place finishes at both the 2018 tournament in A Coruña, Spain, and the 2019 Playoffs in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Narrow Margins (2024):
Returning to the WFTDA European Regional Championships in Malmö, Sweden, Rainy City found themselves in an iconic, nail-biting battle against Paris. Following a heartbreaking 124-122 loss, they finished just outside the region’s top three allocated bids, narrowly missing the cut to advance to the WFTDA Global Championships in Portland, Oregon.
Euro Champs, Namur (2026)
Arriving in Belgium as the undisputed #1 seed, Rainy City has masterfully forecast their route to the top. By turning their dominance into a locked-in Regionals mindset, the Manchester rainmakers are ready to find out if they can drive all the way to a European gold medal.
Namur Forecast: Trackside Hype
Even the number-one seed is looking forward to catching some high-speed action between their own games. Rainy City has their eyes on the rest of the bracket, identifying several key matchups they predict will be absolute lightning strikes.
“Paris and Toulouse are always exciting to watch,” the team noted, keeping tabs on their closest ranking rivals. “And Crime v Nantes would be an epic match up…“
Naturally, they’ll also be bringing plenty of noise for their local peers:
“We always like to support the UK crew of TBB and LRD.“
Final Whistle: Wrapping up the Spotlight Series
And just like that, our Team Spotlight series comes to a close!
The tournament seeding is locked in, the skaters have packed their gear, the officials have packed their stripes and clipboards and the announcers have an unholy amount of glitter in transit. A massive competitive front is about to take over the weekend starting this Friday.
To the teams we didn’t feature in this series: we know exactly what the final weeks before a major tournament look like. Whether you were completely snowed under by intense training hours, finalising complex travel logistics, or deliberately choosing to keep your strategies under wraps until the first whistle blows – we see you, we respect the focus, and we can’t wait to watch you unleash the thunder.
A massive thank you to all the leagues, skaters, officials, bench staff, and photographers who took the time to share their insight and passion with us over these last few weeks.
Think You Can Predict the Chaos?
Is it time for you to make your postseason debut? Get amongst it!
The official EDN x WFTDA Prediction Hub is officially open for business! We’ve partnered with Challonge to bring you an ad-free platform to test your derby knowledge against the rest of the community.
It’s a classic Bracket Challenge!
Because we love the chaos, we’ve opened the entire postseason slate at once. You can lock in your picks for every bracket right now, but don’t wait too long, brackets lock automatically the moment the first jam of Game 1 starts.
Will Rainy City hold their #1 spot and take the gold, or will a bracket-breaker disrupt the forecast?
ENTER THE EDN PREDICTION HUB HERE
Pack is here!
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