2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship final

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2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship final
2016 European Water Polo Championship - Day 1 (Portugal - Greece).jpg
The Belgrade Arena hosted the final.
Event 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship
Serbia Hungary
Flag of Serbia.svgFlag of Hungary.svg
107
Date25 January 2026 (2026-01-25)
Venue Belgrade Arena, Belgrade
Man of the Match Flag of Serbia.svg Dušan Mandić
Referee Frank Ohme (GER)
Julien Bourges (FRA)
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The 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship final was the final match of the 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship, the 37th edition of the biannual continental tournament in men's national water polo teams, organised by Europe's governing aquatics body, European Aquatics. The match was played at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on 25 January 2026, and was contested by hosts Serbia and Hungary. [1] [2]

Contents

The tournament comprised hosts Serbia and 15 other teams. The 16 teams competed in a group stage, from which 12 teams qualified for the main round and 4 later advanced to the semifinals.

For Serbia, it is their seventh final (as Serbia) and it is the 21st final for the Hungarians. This is the third time they have met each other in a European Championship final after 2006 and 2014, with the Serbians winning both times. Both sides had already met each other earlier in the tournament, with the Serbs winning 15–14. Their last appearances for Serbia and Hungary in the final were in 2016 and 2022 respectively.

Serbia won their ninth title after beating the Hungarians 10–7 in the final. [3]

Background

The 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship is the 37th edition of the biannual continental tournament in men's national water polo teams, organised by Europe's governing aquatics body, European Aquatics. The tournament takes place from 10 to 25 January 2026. This edition marks the 100 year anniversary of the championships. This edition is the first one ever to have a 25 meter swimming pool, down from 30 meters. [4]

The competition was held in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, for the third time. [5] This was the second edition to have different hosts for both genders after European Aquatics made the change permanent in March 2025. This edition will also witness a new format, introducing a second group stage. [6]

Route to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.

Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia RoundFlag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
OpponentResult Preliminary round OpponentResult
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 18–16 PSO Match 1Flag of France.svg  France 15–7
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 12–11Match 2Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 13–10
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 19–9Match 3Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 21–6
Group C placement

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia (H)38
2Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 36
3Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 34
4Flag of Israel.svg  Israel 30
Source: EuropeanAquatics
(H) Host
Final standings Group A placement

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 39
2Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 36
3Flag of France.svg  France 33
4Flag of Malta.svg  Malta 30
OpponentResult Main round OpponentResult
Flag of France.svg  France 14–10Match 4Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 16–11
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 15–14Match 5Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia 14–15
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 13–15Match 6Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 15–14 PSO
Group E placement

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia (H)511
2Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 511
3Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 510
4Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 59
5Flag of France.svg  France 53
6Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 51
Source: EuropeanAquatics
(H) Host
Final standings Group E placement

PosTeam
PldPts
1Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia (H)511
2Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 511
3Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 510
4Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro 59
5Flag of France.svg  France 53
6Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 51
Source: EuropeanAquatics
(H) Host
OpponentResult Knockout stage OpponentResult
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 17–13SemifinalsFlag of Greece.svg  Greece 15–12

Venue

The Belgrade Arena hosted the final. This will be the second time they host the final after 2016.

Belgrade
Belgrade Arena
Capacity: 18,386
2016 European Water Polo Championship - Day 1 (Portugal - Greece).jpg

Match

25 January 2026
20:30		 Report Serbia  Flag of Serbia.svg10–7Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary Belgrade Arena, Belgrade
Referees:
Frank Ohme (GER), Julien Bourges (FRA)
Score by quarters:3–2, 2–3, 2–1, 3–1
Mandić 4Goals Vendel 3

Sources: [7]

Assistant referees:
Flag of Malta.svg Alexander de Raffaele
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Peter de Jong
Video assistant referee:
Flag of Portugal (official).svg Eurico Silva
Timekeepers:
Flag of Italy.svg Raffaele Colombo
Flag of Romania.svg Mihai Balanescu
TWPC Delegates:
Flag of Italy.svg Filippo Gomez
Flag of Croatia.svg Milivoj Bebić

Match rules

  • Four quarters of eight minutes (32 minutes in total).
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.

Squads

References

  1. ↑ "Србија ће после осам година поново играти за европско злато, Италија елиминисана у полуфиналу". РТС.
  2. ↑ Márk, Benics (January 23, 2026). "Nagy játékkal Eb-döntős a férfi vízilabda-válogatott". 444.
  3. ↑ "Belgrade 2026: Serbia crowned European champions after defensive masterclass against Hungary | European Aquatics®". January 25, 2026.
  4. ↑ Rolle, Andy (27 December 2025). "Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships facts and figures".
  5. ↑ "Tel Aviv, Belgrade To Host Next Two European Water Polo Championships". swimswam.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Two host cities and new format for 2026 European Water Polo Championships – European Aquatics®". 31 March 2025.
  7. ↑ "SCHEDULE & RESULTS".
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