Final results for the water polo tournament at the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Brazil was the host nation of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's twenty-second appearance at the Summer Olympics, having competed in all editions in the modern era from 1920 onwards, except the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Setting a milestone in Olympic history, Brazil became the first South American country to host the Summer Olympics, and the second Latin American host following the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico.
The water polo tournaments at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 6 to 20 August at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre in Barra da Tijuca. Twenty teams competed in the tournament. Games that ended in ties in elimination rounds were decided by shootouts, as overtime has been abolished since 2013.
The water polo tournaments at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Kōtō. Twenty-two teams competed in the tournament, an increase of two from the previous editions. Water polo was also the last sport played before the closing ceremony.
Croatia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The Croatian Olympic Committee confirmed a roster of 87 athletes, 68 men and 19 women, to compete across 18 sports at the Games.
The men's tournament of Water polo at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, began on 6 August and ended on 20 August 2016. Games were held at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
The women's tournament of Water polo at the 2016 Summer Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, began on 9 August and ended on 19 August 2016. Games were held at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre and the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
The women's water polo tournament at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, organised by the FINA, was held in Kazan, Russia from 26 July to 7 August 2015.
The 2016 Men's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament was held in Trieste, Italy, from 3 to 10 April 2016, at the Polo Natatorio "Bruno Bianchi". The top four teams advanced to the Olympics.
Montenegro competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's third consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics since it gained independence from Serbia in 2006.
The 2015 Asian Water Polo Championship was held from 16–20 December 2015 in Foshan, China. It was the Asian continental qualification for the 2016 Olympic water polo tournament.
The women's water polo tournament at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, organised by the FINA, was held in Budapest, Hungary from 16 to 28 July 2017.
The 2018 Women's European Water Polo Championship was held from 14 to 27 July 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.
The Netherlands competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1900, Dutch athletes have competed at every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis and 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, which the Netherlands boycotted because of the Soviet invasion of Hungary.
The men's tournament of water polo at the 2020 Summer Olympics at Tokyo, Japan began on 25 July and ended on 8 August 2021. It was held at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center. It was the 27th official appearance of the tournament, which was not held in 1896 and was a demonstration sport in 1904 but otherwise had been held at every Olympics.
The women's tournament of water polo at the 2020 Summer Olympics at Tokyo, Japan was played from 24 July to 7 August 2021 at the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center. It was the sixth appearance of the women's tournament, which had been held consecutively since 2000.
The 2020 Men's European Water Polo Championship was the 34th edition of the major European water polo tournament for national teams. It was held at the Danube Arena in Budapest, Hungary, from 14 to 26 January 2020.
The 2020 Women's European Water Polo Championship was the 18th edition of the major European water polo tournament for national teams. It was held at the Danube Arena in Budapest, Hungary, from 12 to 25 January 2020.
The 2020 Men's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament took place from 14 to 21 February 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The top three teams advanced to the Olympics.
The 2020 Women's Water Polo Olympic Qualification Tournament took place in Trieste, Italy. The top two teams advanced to the Olympics.
Netherlands 
United States 
Italy 
Russia 
Spain 
