From 31 July to 16 August 2026, Paris hosts the European Swimming Championships — a centenary edition combining the pool and open water in a single event. Two and a half weeks of races decided by a hundredth of a second and open water marathons that come down to a single arm's length at the finish. The kind of spectacle that makes you want to get back in the water, whether you have a public pool two stops away on the metro or a lake half an hour's drive from home.
The problem isn't the water. Across Europe, in July and August, water is everywhere — outdoor pools, alpine lakes, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Baltic coastlines, urban lidos that reopen just for summer. The problem is swimming alone, lap after lap, with nobody to pace against and nobody to share open water with safely.
An edition that covers all of swimming
The 2026 Championships aren't just about the pool. The programme also includes open water marathon swimming, the discipline raced in the sea, a lake, or a river over long distances — 5, 10, 25 kilometres — where a pack moves together for most of the race and the finish is often decided by inches. It's the event that best captures what happens when swimming leaves the pool and meets the real conditions of open water.
Watching those races puts what most of us do in summer into perspective: a few laps in the morning before the pool fills up, a swim out past the buoys when the sea is flat, maybe the first crossing of a lake you've only ever looked at from the shore. You don't need to be competitive. You just need someone to do it with.
Because in the water, more than in almost any other sport, company isn't just pleasant — it's part of the practice itself.
Open water: why you never swim alone
In a pool the risk is contained: a lifeguard, marked lanes, a visible bottom the whole way. Open water changes everything. A current that shifts, a wave that blocks your sighting, a cramp halfway across when the shore suddenly looks a lot farther than it did. Swimming with a partner or a small group isn't excessive caution — it's the minimum standard any experienced open water swimmer would recommend.
The catch is that finding that partner isn't straightforward. Friends who swim well might live far from the lake you have in mind. The local Facebook group is full of posts from two summers ago. And showing up alone at the beach hoping to run into someone at your level, ready to swim the same distance at the same time, isn't a plan — it's a gamble.
From the Croatian coast to Scandinavian lakes, from Côte d'Azur coves to Norwegian fjords, Europe offers open water of every kind. What's usually missing isn't the right spot. It's the person to share it with.
How it works on PlaySportMate
PlaySportMate is free and covers 150+ sports, swimming included — pool and open water alike. Every profile lists sports practised, declared level, area, and availability. The search is built exactly for the problem above: finding compatible people without relying on messy social groups or indirect connections.
Go to /cerca, select Swimming, set your city. You'll find swimmers with their level and preference clearly stated — some looking purely for pool training, some for open water partners, some for both. Message them directly in chat, agree on a time and place, and you're in the water.
- Profile with sport, city, level and pool/open water preference
- Search by sport + city, filterable by level and availability
- Direct contact in chat — no middlemen, no cost
If you already have a small group of swimmers you click with, you can create a Crew— a shared space to organise recurring sessions, confirm who's showing up, and keep the group chat in one place instead of chasing messages across WhatsApp and email.
If you want to understand how the platform works before signing up, everything is explained on what PlaySportMate is. And if your goal is a more structured race, take a look at the tournaments coming up near you.
What the Championships can't give you
Watching a 100m freestyle final decided by two hundredths of a second is thrilling. But that intensity doesn't transfer on its own — it's built lap after lap, or stroke after stroke in open water, with someone next to you sharing the pace and, when it matters, keeping an eye on you.
Swimming is one of the most complete and accessible sports there is: you don't need a booked venue, you don't need a full team, just a pool or a safe stretch of water and the right person to go with.
The place to swim this summer is probably already within reach. The person to swim with is what PlaySportMate helps you find.
If you liked this article, also read how to find a running partner this summer — the same logic applies to any outdoor sport. And if the court beats the lake for you, find out how to find playground basketball partners.
Find your swimming partners now
Join PlaySportMate, select Swimming, and find swimmers at your level in your city, pool or open water. The Championships give you the inspiration — PlaySportMate gives you the crew.
Find swimming partners →Frequently asked questions
How do I find swimming partners near me on PlaySportMate?
Go to /cerca, select 'Swimming' as your sport and set your city. You'll find swimmer profiles with declared level, availability, and a preference for pool or open water. Contact is direct through chat, no middlemen and no cost.
Is it safe to swim in open water alone?
No: in the sea, a lake, or a river, conditions can change quickly, and you should always have at least one other person watching out for you. Finding a partner or a small group at your level and in your area isn't just more fun — it's the baseline for open water safety.
What's the difference between pool training and open water swimming?
Pool swimming is technical and repeatable: lanes, a stopwatch, structured sets. Open water adds variables — current, waves, sighting, temperature — and demands more experience and more attention to the group. Many swimmers build their base in the pool and move to open water once summer arrives.
Does PlaySportMate work for sports other than swimming?
Yes. PSM covers 150+ sports: football, tennis, running, basketball, padel, cycling, and much more, using the same matching system to find partners at your level, completely free.
Do I need to be a competitive swimmer to find partners on PSM?
Not at all. Profiles show each person's real level, from someone swimming their first non-stop 1500m to someone doing race-pace sets. The system matches comparable people, so the session actually works for both sides.