The draw for the qualification tournaments for the 2026 European Championships in Belgrade took place today.
Eighteen men’s teams and thirteen women’s teams will compete for visas to the Championships in Serbia’s capital. The teams have been divided into four groups.
Slovenia, Turkiye, Georgia, and Malta will host the men’s qualification tournaments, which will be held from June 9 to June 11. The women’s qualifications will take place in Portugal, Germany, Serbia, and Slovakia.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Championships, with one exception: in women’s Group C, where Serbia was drawn. As the host nation, Serbia has already qualified for the tournament, so only one team from this group will advance. Switzerland, Ukraine, and Finland will compete for the remaining spot.
In the men’s qualification, the teams in the first two pots of the draw are considered favorites to qualify for the Championships: the Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Slovakia, Georgia, Israel, France, and Malta.
Similarly, among the women’s teams, those favored to advance are the ones that participated in the 2024 European Championships: the Czech Republic, Romania, Germany, Turkiye, Israel, and Slovakia. Bulgaria, which finished 16th at the 2024 Europeans, didn’t enter the qualifications. This country will be represented in the qualifications with a male team this time. Bulgaria men haven’t played at the European Championships since 1997.
2026 European Water Polo Championships, Qualifications
Men (June 9 – 11)
Teams marked with * will be the hosts
Group A (Kranj): Netherlands, Slovenia*, Poland, Great Britain, Czech Republic
Group B (Istanbul): Germany, Slovakia, Turkiye*, Finland, Sweden
Group C (Tbilisi): Georgia*, Israel, Switzerland, Bulgaria
Group D (Gzira): France, Malta*, Ukraine, Portugal
Already qualified teams: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania (the top 8 from the 2024 European Championships)
Women (June 6 – 8)
Teams marked with * will be the hosts
Group A (Setubal): Czech Republic, Romania, Portugal*
Group B (Hannover): Germany*, Turkiye, Malta
Group C (Novi Sad): Serbia*, Switzerland, Ukraine, Finland
Group D (Novaky): Israel, Slovakia*, Sweden
Already qualified teams: Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, Croatia (the top 8 from the 2024 European Championships) and Serbia (host)
Note: The teams placed 1st – 8th at the previous European Championships will play in Division 1 in Belgrade, while the teams coming from the qualifications and the female team of Serbia in Division 2.
