(Photo by Grégory Costa)
Spain will begin their defence of the World Cup polo crown when it plays Italy on the opening day of the Division I qualification tournament in Alexandropoulos, Greece later today.
Five teams will join host Australia for the finals series in Sydney, Australia in July.
Just making the finals series will be a major feat as 32 nations are vying for the opportunity. Thankfully for the Division I grouping of eight teams, the task is a little easier. Of the 23 teams in Division II, only two will make the grade for Sydney.
The World Cup is this year’s premier event, given that there are no Olympics or World Championships for senior players. Thus, this event carries great weight and qualification spots for next year’s World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
However, the first phase is the toughest and Alexandropoulos will garner most attention. Simultaneously, the Division II tournament is being staged in Malta in a marathon event that will have 80 matches through seven days — keeping spectators and officials on their toes.
Group A of the top Division will see Serbia, Netherlands, Hungary and Greece squaring off. Defending champions Spain are in Group B with Italy, Croatia and the United States of America.
Under the competition structure, the top two teams from Group A and Group B will form a new group and play a full round robin, along with the teams placed third and fourth in both groups. Points are not carried over from Groups A and B.
This ensures all teams are fully ranked while competing for qualification, and the top five teams will advance to the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup finals series in Sydney.
Hungary is the only nation to make eight finals in the tournament history, winning four with the latest in Berlin, Germany in 2018.
Spain has seven medals with two crowns — back to back — in Podgorica, Montenegro last year and in Los Angeles, USA in 2023. It also has five bronze medals in the cabinet.
USA has two gold medals from 1991 and 1997 to go with two silvers and a bronze.
Serbia has two golds and a bronze in its collection with the last gold from Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2014.
Italy is a five-time finalist with only one gold and a bronze.
Of the others in Alexandropoulos, Croatia has silver and bronze and Greece two silvers — the latest in 2025. Only Netherlands has not made the dais at this level.
This year’s European Championships played in January, is the best intimation as to who might perform here.
Serbia outplayed Hungary for the Euro crown while Italy bounced Italy 12-5 in the bronze-medal play-off.
In Singapore at the World Aquatics Championships last year, Spain emerged triumphant with Hungary and Greece second and third on the dais. Serbia and Croatia finished fourth and fifth.
Montenegro, slated for the Division II tournament, was sixth in Singapore while Italy and USA were seventh and eighth.
