The Greece men's national water polo team represents Greece in international men's water polo competitions and it is organized and run by the Hellenic Swimming Federation.
Greece has a long tradition of strong presence at international level, with their major successes being the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games and three bronze medals won at the World Championship in 2005, 2015 and 2022. The Greeks have also won a silver medal at the World Cup in 1997, three bronze medals at the World League in 2004, 2006 and 2016, as well as one silver (2018) and four bronze medals (1951, 1991, 1993, 2013) at the Mediterranean Games.
Moreover, they have closely missed a medal in the 2016 European Championship, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2003 World Championship and the 1999 European Championship, ending up in the 4th place in all four of them. Greece is one of only nine national teams in the world to have won (at least) a medal in the World Championship, currently occupying the eighth place on the medal table, one above Germany. They have qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their World Championship participations since 1994, winning the two aforementioned bronze medals and never finishing below the 6th place from 2001 and on.
Competition | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Olympic Games | – | 1 | – | 1 |
World Championship | – | 1 | 3 | 4 |
World Cup | – | 1 | – | 1 |
World League | – | – | 4 | 4 |
European Championship | – | – | – | – |
Mediterranean Games | – | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Total | – | 4 | 11 | 15 |
Greece has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games, always present in the tournament since 1980. Their best result is the 2nd place at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after losing 13–10 to Serbia in the gold medal game. The Greeks have secured a quarter-finals' presence in six occasions. [1]
Year | Position |
---|---|
1920 | 8th |
1924 | 13th |
1948 | 15th |
1968 | 14th |
1972 | 14th |
1980 | 10th |
1984 | 8th |
1988 | 9th |
1992 | 10th |
1996 | 6th |
2000 | 10th |
2004 | 4th |
2008 | 7th |
2012 | 9th |
2016 | 6th |
2020 | |
2024 | 5th |
Total | 17/28 |
Greece has a strong presence at the World Aquatics Championships, where they have been placed third in the world in two occasions. [1] The first was in 2005 in Montreal, after their 11–10 victory over Croatia in the bronze medal game, with Georgios Afroudakis scoring the winning goal, with a spectacular backhand shot, with only 11 seconds left in the overtime. [2] The second one was in 2015 in Kazan, after their penalty shootout win over Italy in the bronze medal game. Greece has qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their tournament participations since 1994, with a 7th place being their lowest position from 2001 and on when the team qualified.
Year | Position |
---|---|
1973 | 12th |
1978 | 12th |
1982 | 12th |
1986 | 11th |
1991 | 10th |
1994 | 7th |
1998 | 8th |
2001 | 6th |
2003 | 4th |
2005 | |
2007 | 6th |
2013 | 6th |
2015 | |
2017 | 4th |
2019 | 7th |
2022 | |
2023 | |
2024 | 5th |
Total | 18/21 |
Greece had qualified for the FINA Water Polo World Cup in all but two occasions between 1985 and 2006, winning the silver medal in 1997 in Athens, losing 5–8 to the United States in the final. [1]
Year | Position |
---|---|
1985 | 8th |
1987 | 8th |
1993 | 7th |
1995 | 6th |
1997 | |
1999 | 7th |
2002 | 5th |
2006 | 7th |
2023 | 5th |
2025 | Qualified |
Total | 10/18 |
Greece had a regular presence at the FINA Water Polo World League during the first years of the competition, starting from 2002. They have won four bronze medals so far in 2004, 2006, 2016 and 2020. [1]
Year | Position |
---|---|
2002 | 4th |
2003 | 5th |
2004 | |
2005 | 5th |
2006 | |
2008 | 8th |
2016 | |
2020 | |
Total | 8/20 |
As one of the most competitive European nations in water polo, Greece is a regular contestant at the European Water Polo Championship since 1989, although they have yet to win a medal, with their best results being the 4th place in 1999 in Florence and in 2016 in Belgrade.
Year | Position |
---|---|
1970 | 10th |
1985 | 8th |
1989 | 11th |
1991 | 6th |
1993 | 7th |
1995 | 9th |
1997 | 7th |
1999 | 4th |
2001 | 7th |
2003 | 8th |
2006 | 6th |
2008 | 11th |
2010 | 9th |
2012 | 6th |
2014 | 6th |
2016 | 4th |
2018 | 5th |
2020 | 7th |
2022 | 5th |
2024 | 5th |
2026 | Qualified |
Total | 21/36 |
Roster for the 2025 World Cup.
The roster was announced on 4 January 2025. [3]
Head coach: Thodoris Vlachos
The following are the medal-winning Greek rosters in the men's water polo tournaments of the Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships:
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Greece competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Greek athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, France, Great Britain, and Switzerland. As the progenitor nation of the Olympic Games and in keeping with tradition, Greece entered first at the Maracanã Stadium during the opening ceremony.
Chrysoula "Chrysi" Diamantopoulou is a Greek former water polo player, who played as a goalkeeper mailnly for Olympiacos and the Greece women's national team. She was part of the Greek team that won the silver medal at the 2018 European Championship in Barcelona and the sixth place at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.
Theodoros "Thodoris" Vlachos is a retired Greek water polo player and the current coach of the Greece men's national water polo team. He was named the Greek Coach of the Year, for the years 2021 and 2023.
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Konstantinos Flegkas is a water polo player of AEK Athens and Greece. He was part of the Greek team winning the bronze medal at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.
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The men's water polo tournament at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, organised by the FINA, was held in Budapest, Hungary from 17 to 29 July 2017.
These are the rosters of all participating teams at the men's water polo tournament at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The men's water polo tournament at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships, organised by the FINA, was held in Gwangju, South Korea from 15 to 27 July. This was the eighteenth time that the men's water polo tournament has been played since the first edition in 1973.
Greece competed at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea from 12 to 28 July.
Greece competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with a team of 101 athletes in 17 sports. Greek athletes have appeared in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era, alongside Australia, France, Great Britain, and Switzerland. As the progenitor nation of the Olympic Games and in keeping with the tradition, Greece entered first at Place du Trocadéro during the parade of nations segment of the opening ceremony.
Water polo at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships was held between 20 June and 3 July 2022.
The men's water polo tournament at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships was held from 21 June to 3 July 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. This was the 19th time that the men's water polo tournament has been played since the first edition in 1973.
This article shows the roster of all participating teams at the men's water polo tournament at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
Italy competed at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from 18 June to 3 July. Having clinched the final in men's water polo, for the first time it has won at least one medal in every discipline.
Greece competed at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary from 18 June to 3 July.
Greece is set to compete at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan from 14 to 30 July.