The qualifications for the Men’s World Cup Superfinal begin on March 8, with the first games of Division 1 in Zagreb (Group A) and Podgorica (Group B).
According to the regulations, the top three teams from each group will qualify for the Super Final. But only two Super Final berths will be available in the group in Zagreb.
The United States of America will be the host of the Super Final, the Croatian Water Polo Federation said in today’s announcement about the competition in Group A.
Therefore, Team USA, which was drawn into Group A, is directly qualified for the Super Final.
Besides the USA, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Japan, and France will play in Zagreb. So, at least one of the three powerhouses (Italy, Croatia or Hungary) won’t qualify for the Super Final. But, there are more than three candidates for the remaining two tickets for the USA. France is one of the teams that can surprise the favorites.
Division 1, groups (March 8 – 14)
GROUP A: Italy, Croatia, USA, Hungary, Japan, France.
GROUP B: Spain, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Australia, Georgia.
The Super Final (the Final Eight) is scheduled for June 30 – July 2. There is still no official confirmation by World Aquatics about the host city and the venue of the Super Final tournament. Still, in the past few weeks, unofficial information that the Super Final could take place in Chicago appeared.
The Final Eight will be staged by a knockout competition system (quarterfinals, semifinals, final).
The top two teams from the Super Final will qualify for the World Championships in Doha.
Besides six teams from Division 1, the best two teams from Division 2 will play at the Super Final. As of today, World Aquatics hasn’t announced the list of the participating teams and the host(s) of the games in Division 2.
Follow the results and statistics of Division 1 on Total Waterpolo Arena
