Croatia men's national water polo team

Croatia

FINA code	CRO
Nickname(s)	Barakude (The Barracudas)
Association	Croatian Water Polo Federation
Confederation	LEN (Europe)
Head coach	Ivica Tucak
Asst coach	Jure Marelja Renco Posinković
Captain	Marko Bijač
Most caps	Igor Hinić (417)
Top scorer(s)	Miho Bošković (369)
FINA ranking (since 2008)
Current	1 (as of 12 July 2025)
Highest	1 (2012, 2013, 2024)
Lowest	6 (2008)
Olympic Games  (team statistics)
Appearances	8 (first in 1996 )
Best result	(2012)
5-time Olympian(s)	Igor Hinić (1996–2012)
Most medals	Perica Bukić (3 medals, 2 gold and 1 silver)
Top scorer(s)	Sandro Sukno (31 goals, 2012–2016)
Most saves	Frano Vićan (123 saves, 2000–2012)
Top sprinter(s)	Maro Joković (25 sprints won, 2008–2016)
Flag bearer(s)	Perica Bukić (1996) Dubravko Šimenc (2004) Josip Pavić (2016)
World Championship
Appearances	16 (first in 1994 )
Best result	(2007, 2017, 2024)
World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1995 )
Best result	(2010)
World League
Appearances	9 (first in 2002 )
Best result	(2012)
European Championship
Appearances	16 (first in 1993 )
Best result	(2010, 2022)
Europa Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2018)
Best result	(2018)
Mediterranean Games
Appearances	6 (first in 1993 )
Best result	(2013)
Media
Website	hvs.hr (in Croatian)
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 3 0 World Championship 3 1 4 World Cup 0 1 1 World League 1 3 3 European Championship 2 3 1 Europa Cup 1 1 0 Mediterranean Games 1 1 1 Total 9 13 10 Olympic Games 2012 London Team 1996 Atlanta Team 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team 2024 Paris Team World Championship 2007 Melbourne Team 2017 Budapest Team 2024 Doha Team 2015 Kazan Team 2009 Rome Team 2011 Shanghai Team 2013 Barcelona Team 2019 Gwangju Team World Cup 2010 Oradea 2014 Almaty World League 2012 Almaty 2009 Podgorica 2015 Bergamo 2019 Belgrade 2010 Niš 2011 Florence 2017 Ruza European Championship 2010 Zagreb 2022 Split 1999 Florence 2003 Kranj 2024 Dubrovnik/Zagreb 2018 Barcelona Europa Cup 2018 Rijeka 2019 Zagreb Mediterranean Games 2013 Mersin 1993 Languedoc-Roussillon 1997 Bari

The Croatia men's national water polo team represents Croatia in international water polo competitions and is controlled by the Croatian Water Polo Federation. They have won gold medals in the Olympics, World and European Championships, FINA World League and Mediterranean Games, making them one of the most successful men's water polo teams in the world. Overall Croatia won 33 medals at competitions.

It was the first Croatian national team to win a gold medal at the Olympics or World Games, the World and European Championships.

Croatia played their 800th game since gaining independence on 20 August 2022 and they won their 517th victory. ^[1]

History

After the independence of Croatia the national water polo team competed at its first tournament and also its first finals at 1993 Mediterranean Games, followed by the 1993 European Championships where Croatia won 5th place.

Croatia has since become Olympic champion (2012), triple World champion (2007, 2017, 2024) and European champion (2010). Croatia has also won eight other medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships and was fourth on six occasions. The team holds a record streak of winning 7 medals in a row at World Championships and has reached semi-finals in over 60% of appearances at the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships altogether since 2017. Since the formation of national team Croatia has qualified for every big tournament. It is the first Croatian national team in any Olympic team sport that has won gold medals at all three big competitions. Croatia has also won World League (2012) and Mediterranean Games (2013). The only competition Croatia has yet to win is World Cup where the national team won silver medal in 2010.

The team has been awarded with Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport in 1996. So far two International Swimming Hall of Fame inductees have been members of Croatia national team – Perica Bukić as a player and Ratko Rudić as a coach.

Croatia played their 800 game since gaining independence on 20 August 2022. and they won their 517 victory which makes 64,62% of victories. ^[1]

Results

Medals

Updated after 2024 World Championships

Competition				Total
Olympic Games	1	3	0	4
World Championship	3	1	4	8
World Cup	0	1	1	2
World League	1	3	3	7
European Championship	2	3	1	6
Europa Cup	1	1	0	2
Summer Universuade	0	1	0	1
Mediterranean Games	1	1	1	3
Total	9	14	10	33

 Champions   Runners-up    Third place    Fourth place  

Summer Olympics

Main article: Croatia men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics

Year [2]	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1992	Couldn't participate in qualification
1996	Final		8	5	0	3	71	58	+13
2000	Quarterfinal	7th	8	5	1	2	68	56	+12
2004	Preliminary Round	10th	6	2	0	4	47	42	+5
2008	Quarterfinal	6th	7	4	0	3	71	49	+22
2012	Final		8	8	0	0	73	42	+31
2016	Final		8	5	0	3	66	62	+4
2020	Quarterfinal	5th	8	5	0	3	99	82	+17
2024	Final		8	4	0	4	88	86	+2
Total	Qualified: 8/8		65	41	1	23	641	505	+126

Record against other teams at the Summer Olympics

National team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD
Australia	2	2	0	1	29	25	+4
China	1	1	0	0	16	4	+12
Egypt	1	1	0	0	12	1	+11
Germany	1	1	0	0	13	5	+8
Greece	3	3	0	0	25	16	+9
Hungary	2	1	0	1	16	17	−1
Italy	5	4	0	1	45	35	+10
Kazakhstan	2	2	0	0	40	15	+25
Montenegro	3	1	0	1	26	20	+6
Netherlands	1	1	0	0	11	7	+4
Romania	1	1	0	0	11	6	+5
Russia	1	0	0	1	8	9	−1
Serbia	3	2	0	2	43	44	−1
Serbia and Montenegro	3	1	1	1	20	21	−1
Spain	4	1	0	3	30	34	−4
Ukraine	1	1	0	0	16	8	+8
United States	6	2	0	4	45	42	+3
Total	17 teams

World Championships

Year [2] Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD 1994 Semi-final 4th 7 4 0 3 87 57 +30 1998 Second Round 9th 8 4 2 2 94 46 +48 2001 Second Round 8th 8 4 0 4 70 52 +18 2003 Second Round 9th 6 3 1 2 49 39 +10 2005 Semi-final 4th 7 4 0 3 59 44 +15 2007 Final 6 6 0 0 62 40 +22 2009 Semi-final 6 5 0 1 63 35 +28 2011 Semi-final 6 5 0 1 72 42 +30 2013 Semi-final 7 6 0 1 89 44 +45 2015 Final 6 5 0 1 68 45 +23 2017 Final 6 6 0 0 70 47 +23 2019 Semi-final 6 5 0 1 77 37 +40 2022 Semi-final 4th 7 4 1 2 81 66 +15 2023 Classification round 9th 6 4 0 2 93 57 +36 2024 Final 7 4 2 1 107 63 +44 2025 Classification round 5th 6 5 0 1 93 66 +27 Total Qualified: 16/16 105 74 6 25 1234 776 +458

Record against other teams at the World Championships National team Pld W D L PF PA PD Australia 6 5 0 1 49 43 +6 Brazil 4 4 0 0 52 22 +30 Canada 5 5 0 0 68 26 +42 China 3 3 0 0 49 7 +42 Germany 1 0 0 1 3 7 −4 Greece 4 2 0 2 51 49 +2 Hungary 5 2 1 3 50 56 −6 Italy 4 1 1 2 32 34 −2 Japan 2 2 0 0 26 9 +17 Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0 19 4 +15 Montenegro 4 4 0 0 40 21 +19 Netherlands 2 2 0 0 23 13 +10 New Zealand 3 3 0 0 75 8 +67 Romania 3 3 0 0 25 18 +7 Russia 6 3 0 3 51 38 +13 Serbia 4 2 0 2 37 41 −4 Serbia and Montenegro 2 0 1 1 10 11 −1 Slovakia 1 1 0 0 12 3 +9 South Africa 2 2 0 0 32 5 +27 Spain 2 0 0 2 10 17 −7 United States 6 5 0 1 56 43 +13 Total 21 teams

World Cup

Year [2] Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD 1993 Could not qualify [3] 1995 Preliminary Round 6th 5 2 0 3 25 31 −6 1997 Preliminary Round 8th 5 1 0 4 30 40 −10 1999 did not qualify 2002 Preliminary Round 8th 4 0 1 3 26 32 −6 2006 Semi-final 4th 6 2 1 3 54 56 −2 2010 Final 6 5 0 1 74 43 +31 2014 Semi-final 6 4 0 2 43 37 +6 2018 Quarterfinal 5th 6 4 1 1 84 41 +43 2023 did not qualify 2025 Semi-final 4th 7 4 1 2 102 84 +18 Total Qualified: 7/9 45 22 4 19 438 364 +74

Record against other teams at the World Cup National team Pld W D L PF PA PD Australia 1 1 0 0 6 3 +3 China 1 1 0 0 14 4 +10 Greece 2 1 1 0 12 11 +1 Hungary 3 0 0 3 17 30 −13 Iran 1 1 0 0 23 2 +21 Italy 2 0 0 2 9 13 −4 Kazakhstan 1 1 0 0 14 7 +7 Montenegro 1 1 0 0 6 5 +1 Netherlands 1 1 0 0 9 7 +2 Romania 1 1 0 0 10 7 +3 Russia 2 1 0 1 17 19 −2 Serbia 3 1 0 2 21 28 −7 Serbia and Montenegro 3 1 0 2 18 18 0 Spain 5 0 1 4 33 45 −12 United States 5 3 0 2 43 40 +3 Total 15 teams

World League

Wins/Defeats after penalty shootout counted as wins/defeats.
* marks instances of not qualifying for the super final due to "host rule".

Year [2]	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L
2002	did not qualify for the Super Final		12	2	0	10
2003	did not compete
2004
2005	Group Round	4th	14	8	0	6
2006 *	did not qualify for the Super Final		11	7	0	4
2007			8	3	0	5
2008 *			6	3	0	3
2009	Final		12	9	0	3
2010	Semi-final		12	8	0	4
2011	Semi-final		11	10	0	1
2012	Final		10	10	0	0
2013 *	did not qualify for the Super Final		6	4	0	2
2014			4	1	0	3
2015	Final		14	12	0	2
2016	did not qualify for the Super Final		6	4	0	2
2017	Semi-final		12	10	0	2
2018	Quarterfinal	5th	10	7	0	3
2019	Final		13	9	0	4
2020	did not qualify for the Super Final		5	2	0	3
2022			5	3	0	2
Total	Participated: 18/20 Qualified for the Super Final: 9/18		171	112	0	59

European Championships

Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA GD 1993 Preliminary round 5th 7 5 0 2 72 58 +14 1995 Semi-final 4th 7 2 2 3 78 58 +20 1997 Semi-final 4th 8 5 1 2 60 44 +16 1999 Final 8 6 0 2 71 59 +12 2001 Semi-final 4th 8 3 2 3 63 57 +6 2003 Final 8 6 0 2 66 55 +11 2006 Preliminary round 7th 8 4 2 2 90 72 +18 2008 Semi-final 4th 8 4 1 3 81 69 +12 2010 Final 7 6 0 1 71 44 +27 2012 Preliminary round 9th 7 4 0 3 80 66 +14 2014 Quarterfinal 5th 7 3 2 2 64 54 +10 2016 Quarterfinal 7th 7 4 0 3 88 50 +38 2018 Semi-final 6 5 0 1 76 41 +35 2020 Semi-final 4th 6 4 0 2 75 53 +22 2022 Final 6 5 1 0 73 41 +42 2024 Final 6 4 0 2 66 54 +12 2026 Qualified Total Qualified: 17/17 114 70 11 33 1174 875 +310

Record against other teams at the European Championships National team Pld W D L PF PA PD Austria 1 1 0 0 26 2 +24 France 3 3 0 0 38 21 +17 Germany 8 4 2 2 76 66 +10 Greece 10 7 3 0 91 73 +18 Hungary 12 2 1 9 108 128 −20 Italy 9 5 1 3 66 62 +4 Montenegro 5 2 0 3 46 49 −3 Netherlands 3 3 0 0 40 13 +27 Romania 4 2 0 2 43 35 +8 Russia 5 3 1 1 44 36 +8 Serbia 3 1 1 1 30 32 −2 Serbia and Montenegro 4 1 0 3 30 32 −2 Slovakia 6 5 0 1 64 37 +27 Slovenia 3 3 0 0 37 16 +21 Spain 9 6 1 2 80 73 +7 Turkey 1 1 0 0 16 3 +13 Ukraine 3 3 0 0 34 19 +15 Total 17 teams

Europa Cup

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L
2018	Final		8	7	0	1
2019	Final		7	5	0	2
Total	Participated: 2/2 Qualified for the Super Final: 2/2		15	12	0	3

Mediterranean Games

Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L
1993	Final
1997	Final
2001	Preliminary Round	5th
2005	Semi-final	4th	5	2	0	3
2009	Semi-final	4th	5	3	0	2
2013	Final		4	4	0	0
2018	did not participate
2022
Total	Participated: 6/8		14	9	0	5

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2025 World Championships. ^{[4] [5]}

Head coach: Ivica Tucak

• 1 Marko Bijač GK
• 2 Rino Burić FP
• 3 Loren Fatović FP
• 4 Luka Lončar FP
• 5 Franko Lazić FP
• 6 Luka Bukić FP
• 7 Ante Vukičević FP
• 8 Marko Žuvela FP
• 9 Filip Kržić FP
• 10 Josip Vrlić FP
• 11 Zvonimir Butić FP
• 12 Konstantin Kharkov FP
• 13 Toni Popadić GK
• 14 Matias Biljaka FP
• 15 Tin Brubnjak FP

Player statistics

Most appearances

Player	Matches	Position	Active on Nat'l Team?
Igor Hinić	417	C	No
Tomislav Paškvalin	285	C	No
Samir Barać	176	PP	No
Andro Bušlje	167	HG	No
Teo Đogaš	148	PP	No
Frano Vićan	129	GK	No
Elvis Fatović	128	PP	No
Josip Pavić	120	GK	No
Damir Burić	117	HG	No
Miho Bošković	108	PP, HG	No
Sandro Sukno	97	PP	No
Petar Muslim	90	PP, SC	No
Maro Joković	89	PP	No
Nikša Dobud	83	C	No
Vjekoslav Kobešćak	86	PP	No
Ratko Štritof	80	HG	No
Ivan Buljubašić	79	HG	No
Paulo Obradović	68	PP, HG	No
Zdeslav Vrdoljak	58	PP	No
Anđelo Šetka	57	PP	No
Dubravko Šimenc	52	PP	No
Goran Volarević	52	GK	No
Frano Karač	37	PP	No
Tihomil Vranješ	35	PP	No
Pavo Marković	33	PP	No
Perica Bukić	30	PP	No
Antonio Petković	22	PP	No
Luka Lončar	20	C	Yes

Top scorers

Name	Goals	Average	Position
Miho Bošković	369	3.42	PP, HG
Paulo Obradović	197		PP, HG
Maro Joković	158		PP
Samir Barać	135	0.77	PP
Igor Hinić	113	0.27	C
Petar Muslim	100		PP, SC
Nikša Dobud	86	1.02	C

Head coaches

• Duško Antunović (1991–1993)
• Bruno Silić (1993–1998)
• Neven Kovačević (1998–2001)
• Veselin Đuho (2002–2003)
• Zoran Roje (2003–2005)
• Ratko Rudić (2005–2012)
• Ivica Tucak (2012–)

Notable players

• Milivoj Bebić ^{[N 1]}
• Zdravko Ježić
• Zdravko Kovačić
• Renco Posinković
• Karlo Stipanić

Naturalized players

Andrey Belofastov (Ukraine), Xavier García (Spain) ^[6] Konstantin Kharkov (Russia), Nikolay Bonev (Bulgaria)

Statistics

Record against other teams

As of 10 August 2024 after game against Hungary in Olympic Games 2024

NO FRIENDLY fixtures.

Key Positive total balance (more wins) Neutral total balance (equal W/L ratio) Negative total balance (more losses) Wins/Defeats after penalty shootout counted as wins/defeats. National team Total Olympic Games World Championship World Cup World League European Championship Europa Cup Mediterranean Games Qualifications Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Argentina 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Australia 23 18 0 5 3 2 0 2 9 8 0 1 2 1 0 1 8 7 0 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Austria 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 0 0 0 0 Belarus 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Brazil 8 7 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Canada 8 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 0 0 China 7 7 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Egypt 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 France 13 12 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 5 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Georgia 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Germany 27 21 2 4 1 1 0 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 12 11 0 1 9 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — 2 2 0 0 Great Britain 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Greece 42 26 6 10 4 3 0 1 5 1 1 3 2 1 1 0 14 9 0 5 13 9 4 0 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Hungary 41 12 2 27 4 3 0 1 9 4 1 4 3 0 0 3 11 3 0 8 14 3 1 10 0 0 0 0 — — — — 0 0 0 0 Iran 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Italy 45 25 2 18 7 5 0 2 6 3 1 2 2 0 0 2 14 8 0 6 12 7 1 4 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 Japan 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Kazakhstan 11 11 0 0 4 4 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 4 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Macedonia 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Malta 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Moldova 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Montenegro 31 20 0 11 8 7 0 1 4 3 0 1 1 1 0 0 9 3 0 6 7 4 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 Netherlands 14 14 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 4 0 0 5 5 0 0 1 1 0 0 — — — — 0 0 0 0 New Zealand 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Poland 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Puerto Rico 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 1 1 0 0 Romania 18 15 0 3 2 2 0 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 3 0 1 4 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 — — — — 3 3 0 0 Russia 35 23 1 11 1 1 0 0 7 4 0 3 2 1 0 1 18 13 0 5 6 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 0 0 1 Serbia * 48 18 8 27 7 4 1 2 8 4 1 3 7 2 1 4 11 2 0 9 9 2 1 6 3 3 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Slovakia 9 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Slovenia 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 South Africa 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Spain 43 19 2 22 7 2 0 5 5 0 0 5 5 0 1 4 11 6 0 5 9 6 1 2 2 2 0 0 4 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 Turkey 10 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Switzerland 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 1 1 0 0 Ukraine 4 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — 0 0 0 0 United States 37 25 0 12 9 4 0 5 8 7 0 1 7 5 0 2 13 9 0 4 — — — — — — — — — — — — 0 0 0 0 Total (36) 515 344 19 152 * includes games against   Serbia and Montenegro / FR Yugoslavia

Biggest wins

double digit goal difference

Olympic Games	World Championship	World Cup	World League	European Championship	Europa Cup	Mediterranean Games	Qualifications
+12 vs. China (16–4) 2008 +11 vs. Egypt (12–1) 2004	+34 vs. New Zealand (35–1) 1994 +19 vs. South Africa (19–0) 2013 +17 vs. New Zealand (21–4) 2013 +16 vs. New Zealand (19–3) 1998 +15 vs. Canada (19–4) 2005 +15 vs. Kazakhstan (19–4) 1998 +11 vs. Brasil (17–6) 1998 +11 vs. Japan (18–7) 2011 +10 vs. Canada (13–3) 2003 +10 vs. China (15–5) 2009 +10 vs. Japan (16–6) 2017 +10 vs. Russia (13–3) 2007	+23 vs. South Africa (25–2) 2018 +21 vs. Iran (23–2) 2010 +13 vs. South Africa (16–3) 2018 +10 vs. China (14–4) 2010	+21 vs. South Africa (22–1) 2010 +19 vs. Turkey (20–1) 2013 +17 vs. Brasil (20–3) 2012 +16 vs. Kazakhstan (20–4) 2019 +16 vs. Kazakhstan (19–3) 2017 +14 vs. Turkey (17–3) 2013 +13 vs. Spain (19–6) 2006 +13 vs. Turkey (19–6) 2016 +13 vs. Turkey (16–3) 2016 +11 vs. Netherlands (18–7) 2017 +10 vs. Brasil (17–7) 2005 +10 vs. China (15–5) 2011 +10 vs. China (14–4) 2015 +10 vs. France (16–6) 2017 +10 vs. Kazakhstan (15–5) 2018 +10 vs. Netherlands (17–7) 2017 +10 vs. Russia (14–4) 2018 +10 vs. Turkey (13–3) 2015	+24 vs. Austria (26–2) 1995 +21 vs. Turkey (23–2) 2018 +20 vs. Malta (22–2) 2016 +15 vs. France (20–5) 2016 +13 vs. Turkey (16–3) 2010 +12 vs. Netherlands (16–4) 2012 +11 vs. Slovenia (19–8) 2006 +10 vs. Slovakia (15–5) 2008	+15 vs. France (20–5) 2018 +12 vs. Netherlands (16–4) 2018 +11 vs. Malta (16–5) 2018	+13 vs. Turkey (17–4) 2013 +11 vs. Greece (14–3) 2009	+20 vs. Georgia (23–3) 1999 +17 vs. Puerto Rico (18–1) 2004 +12 vs. Romania (12–0) 2004

Biggest losses

Olympic Games	World Championship	World Cup	World League	European Championship	Europa Cup	Mediterranean Games
-4 vs. Serbia (7–11) 2016 -4 vs. Italy (7–11) 2004	-7 vs. Serbia (4–11) 2015 -6 vs. Hungary (4–10) 2005 -5 vs. Spain (6–11) 1994	-6 vs. Serbia (7–13) 2010 -5 vs. Hungary (6–11) 1997 -5 vs. Russia (5–10) 1997 -5 vs. Spain (2–7) 1995	-9 vs. Hungary (6–15) 2007 -8 vs. Greece (5–13) 2008 -7 vs. Brasil (10–17) 2015	-7 vs. Serbia (6–13) 2016 -6 vs. Hungary (5–11) 1995 -5 vs. Hungary (11–16) 2006	-2 vs. Greece 2018 -2 vs. Hungary 2019	-9 vs. Italy (5–14) 2005 -6 vs. Serbia (8–14) 2009

Non-senior competitions

World Youth Championship U-18 Year Round Position 2012 Semi-final 4th 2014 Quarterfinal 8th 2016 Champions 1st

World Junior Championship U-20 Year Round Position 1991 1993 1995 1997 Final 1999 2001 Final 2003 Quarterfinal 7th 2005 Final 2007 Semi-final 2009 Final 2011 Quarterfinal 6th 2013 Final 2015 2025 Semi-final

European Youth Championship U-17 Year Round Position 2003 Semi-final 2005 Final 2007 Semi-final 2008 Semi-final 2009 Final 2011 Final 2013 Qualified 2015 * Semi-final 4th * incorporated in the 1st European Games

European Junior Championship U-19 Year Round Position 2004 Final 2006 Semi-final 4th 2008 Quarterfinal 5th 2010 Semi-final 2012 Semi-final 2014 Semi-final 2024 Champions

Awards

• Croatian team of the year: 1999, 2017, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017

See also

• Croatia men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics
• Yugoslavia men's national water polo team
• List of Olympic champions in men's water polo
• List of men's Olympic water polo tournament records and statistics
• List of world champions in men's water polo

Notes

1. FINA Water Polo Player of the Year in 1982, 1984 and 1985. Scored 28 goals in one game which is a world record for water polo game (final score: Yugoslavia 62–0 Guatemala). First water polo player in history to sign a 6 digit contract.

References

1. "Pobjeda u jubilarnoj 800. utakmici Barakuda: Hrvatska trijumfom nad Francuzima otvorila turnir u Beogradu". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Hanza Media. 20 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
2. "HistoFINA – Water polo medalists and statistics" (PDF). fina.org. FINA. September 2019. pp. 4, 14, 25, 40, 48. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
3. Qualification for the tournament was determined by placing in the 1992 Olympics tournament. Since the Croatian team couldn't had participated in the 1992 Olympic water polo tournament due to the dissolution of Yugoslavia, it couldn't qualify for the 1993 World Cup.
4. "Men's Water Polo Team Roster CRO" (PDF). Omega Timing. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
5. "Men's Water Polo Team Roster CRO (2)" (PDF). Omega Timing. 22 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
6. "Stigla potvrda iz MOO-a: Javier Garcia s Hrvatskom na Olimpijskim igrama u Riju". hrsport.net (in Croatian).

External links

• Official website (in Croatian)