🛒 Shop the best Water Polo Gear now! →
🤑 10% off on selected briefs & merch 🤑
Support the Total Waterpolo mission!
TW-Brandmark-Whitex2
  • News
  • SINGAPORE 2025
    • Men’s tournament
    • Women’s tournament
  • Results

    National

    • Montenegro
      • Montenegrin League 2024/25
      • Montenegrin Cup 24/25
      • Montenegrin League 23/24
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic League Men 24/25
      • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
      • Nordic League Women 2024/25
      • Nordic League 23/24
      • Qualifications
    • Slovenia
      • Slovenian League 24/25
      • Slovenian League 23/24
    • Hong Kong
      • Hong Kong 24/25 – Women
      • Hong Kong 24/25 – Men
    • Austria
      • Austrian League 2025 – Men
      • Austrian League 23/24 – Women
      • Austrian League 23/24 – Men
    • Lithuania
      • Lithuanian League ’24
    • Latvia
      • Latvian Championship 2024
    • France
      • French League 23/24 – Men
    • Spain
      • Spanish League 23/24 – Men
    • Hungary
      • Hungarian League 23/24 – Men
    • Italy
      • Italian League 23/24 – Men

    International

    • SINGAPORE 2025
      • Women
      • Men
    • LEN Champions League
      • Men 24/25
      • Men 23/24
    • World Cup 2025
      • Men
    • AWL
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
      • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
    • Nordic League
      • Nordic League Men 2024/25
      • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
      • Nordic League Women 2024/25
      • Nordic League 2023/24
      • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
    • NCAA
      • Men’s Finals 2024
      • Men’s Finals 2023
    • Oympic Games
      • Tokyo 2020
        • Women
        • Men
      • Paris 2024
        • Olympic Tournament – Men
        • Olympic Tournament – Women
    • World Championships
      • Doha 2024
        • Women
        • Men
      • Fukuoka 2023
        • Women
        • Men
      • Budapest 2022
        • Women
        • Men
    • European Championships
      • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
      • Zagreb / Dubrovnik 2024 – Men
      • Split 2022
        • Women
        • Men
      • Budapest 2020

    Amateur & Junior Divisions

    • Summer Cup 2025
    • Nordic League U16 2024/25
    • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
    • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
    • Masters Cup 2025

    Total Waterpolo Arena livescoring app: Stay in the game with real-time updates and stats for your next tournament.

    Contact Us
    • Champions League
      • Season 24/25
      • Season 23/24
      • Season 22/23
    • International
      • World Cup 2025 Men
      • European Championships
        • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
        • Croatia 2024 – Men
        • Split 2022
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2020
        • Barcelona 2018
      • World Championships
        • Doha 2024
          • Women
          • Men
        • Fukuoka 2023
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2022
          • Women
          • Men
      • Olympics
        • Tokyo 2020
          • Women
          • Men
        • Paris 2024
          • Women
          • Men
      • NCAA
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2024
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2023
      • Pacific Cup 2024
    • National
      • Montenegro
        • Montenegrin League 2024/25
        • Montenegrin Cup 2024/25
      • Austria
        • Austrian League 2025 – Men
        • Austrian League 2024 – Women
        • Austrian League 2024 – Men
      • Nordic League
        • Nordic League Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League Women 2024/25
        • Nordic League U16 2024/25
        • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League 2023/24
        • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
      • Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong Women’s League 24/25
        • Hong Kong Men’s League 24/25
      • AWL
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
      • Slovenia
      • Lithuania
      • Latvia
      • Hungarian League 2023 – Men
      • French League 2023 – Men
      • Spanish League 2023 – Men
      • Italian League 2023 – Men
    • Masters
      • Masters Cup 2025
      • VAL League 2024/25
      • Sabac Masters 2024
      • Masters Cup 2024
      • Budva Masters 2024
    • Junior
      • DSV 98 Cup 2025
      • Summer Cup 2025
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
      • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus 2025
      • Next Generation 2024 – Men
      • Next Generation 2024 -Women
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U10)
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U12)
      • HabaWaba Spain Plus 2024
      • Plejade
      • Dobri Dupin
  • Transfers
  • Shop

    WearWaterpolo™ Webshop

    • Webshop
    • Men’s Briefs
    • Women’s Suits
    • Apparel
    • Game Balls
    • About

    Partner up with Total Waterpolo, the leading international water polo network worldwide and take your team gear to the next level. Our products are made to endure the harshest conditions from pro leagues around the world to your local squad rivalries. We can't wait to join your team!

    Get Total Waterpolo for your Team
  • Total Player
    • Total Player 2024
    • Total Player 2023
    • Total Player 2022
    • Total Player 2021
    • Total Player 2020
    • Total Player 2019
    • Total Player 2018
    • Total Player 2017
SINGAPORE 2025
Support Us

Fukuoka 2001: Lowest-scoring World Championships final ever

July 10, 2023

Fukuoka will be the fourth city to host the World Aquatics Championships for the second time.

Before the sixth-largest Japanese city, three European cities organized the Championships twice: Rome (1994 and 2009), Barcelona (2003 and 2013), and Budapest (2017 and 2022).

Fukuoka welcomed the athletes in aquatics sports for the first time in 2001.

The 20th Worlds in Fukuoka were originally scheduled for 2021, then moved to 2022. Last year the Championships were postponed again, and the WCH in Fukuoka will finally happen between July 14 and 29 (the women’s water polo tournament begins on July 16, and the men start a day after)

Let’s take a moment to reflect on the past and recall the gold-medal match of the men’s water polo tournament at the 2001 World Championships. This match marked the lowest-scoring final game in the 50-year history of the Worlds. There were only six goals. Spain emerged victorious over Yugoslavia with a 4:2 score.

Today, it’s almost impossible to imagine such a final. But, water polo has changed in the last 22 years. Among other things, the game is prolonged (in 2001, the duration of the quarter was still seven minutes). However, the era when the time for the attack wasn’t limited had passed a long time before 2001. There were not so many goals as there are now in water polo games, but “football” results weren’t so often.

For instance, three years before Fukuoka, Spain defeated Hungary 6:4 in the final of the 8th Worlds, held in Perth. In 1994, Italy won gold in Rome, beating Spain 10:5 in the final.

From Budapest to Fukuoka

The European teams arrived in Fukuoka less than a month after the end of the 25th European Championships held in Budapest. Yugoslavia clinched gold in the capital of Hungary, beating Italy by three goals in the final (8:5). Hungary won bronze, Croatia finished 4th, Russia 5th, Spain 6th…

There were not many low-scoring matches in Budapest. However, from the start of the World Championships, there were indications that all teams would care a lot about defense, especially the teams that eventually reached the final.

13.7 A total of 822 goals were scored in 60 matches in Fukuoka in 2001 – 13.7 per match, which is the lowest average at the men’s water polo tournament in the World Championships in the last 40 years. Only the first three editions of the Worlds produced fewer goals – 1973: 10.08 per game, 1975: 10.32 and 1978: 9.97. Goal getters at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona had a slightly better output than in Fukuoka – at 13.73 per match

The competition formula differed from the current one. The teams were split into four groups of four in the first phase. After that, the top three from each group advanced to the second stage, where two new groups of six teams were formed. The 1st-placed and 2nd-placed qualified for the semifinals.

One of the derbies in the first phase was a replay of the final in Budapest, Yugoslavia – Italy. The game between the same rivals at the European Champioships produced 13 goals (Yugoslavia won 8:5). In Fukuoka, the match ended in a 3:3 draw (there were no goals in the first quarter, and the scores of the next three were the same – 1:1).

Spain’s most demanding task in the first phase was a match against Croatia. The Spaniards won by two goals (6:4). It was a strange game, Spain opened the match with a 3:0 lead. Croatia leveled at 3:3 by halftime. The Spaniards produced a new 3:0 run in the third quarter. Croatia scored the only goal in the final seven minutes.

6 Spain conceded only six goals in the group of the first phase. Before beating Croatia, it downed Australia 8:1 and Japan 12:1 (the biggest winning margin at the Championships)

Yugoslavia played in Group E of the second phase, along with Italy, Hungary, Greece, Kazakhstan and Slovakia.
Spain was in Group F with Croatia, Russia, the USA, Australia and the Netherlands.

There were several “football” results in this phase, too. Serbia beat Greece 4:3. Italy edged out Hungary 3:2 in the decisive match for 2nd place in Group E. Greece defeated Slovakia 4:3, etc.

Yugoslavia finished first, ahead of Italy, Olympic champion Hungary, Greece, Kazakhstan and Slovakia

There were no low-scoring encounters in  Group F (there were at least 11 goals in a match). Spain finished 1st, beating Russia in the crucial match for the top spot (9:8). Russia went to the semifinals from 2nd place. Croatia (3rd place), USA (4th),Australia (5th) and the Netherlands (6th) continued the Championships in the classification matches.

Medal matches, Spain’s copy and paste

And then came the semifinals, which produced two big battles.

Yugoslavia beat Russia 9:8. The match between Spain and Italy was another low-scoring thriller. Nobody could find the net in the first quarter. The second proved crucial for the outcome, as Spain led 3:1 at halftime. Each side scored a goal apiece in the third period and defenses dominated in the fourth quarter, so Spain recorded a 4:2 win.

Russia won bronze beating Italy 7:6.

The reigning world and the Europen champion, Spain and Serbia, met in the final. The Spaniards repeated the result of the semfinals.

Gabriel Hernandez Photo: Pro Recco/FB

The heroes of Spain’s win were great goalkeeper Jesus Rollan, who tragically died five years later, and Gabriel Hernandez, who coached Pro Recco two seasons ago and led the team to the 2021 Champions League title. Spain won 4:2 and Hernandez scored three goals.

2001 World Championships, Fukuoka, men’s final

Spain – Yugoslavia 4:2 (2:1, 0:0, 2:1, 0:0)

Spain: Jesus Rollan, Carlos Sanz, Sergi Pedrerol, Gustavo Marcos, Guillermo Molina, Angel Andreo, Gabriel Hernandez 3, Ivan Moro, Daniel Ballart, Salvador Gomez, Ivan Perez 1, Javier Sanchez, Daniel Moro. Head coach: Joan Jane.

Yugoslavia: Aleksandar Sostar, Petar Trbojevic, Predrag Zimonjic, Branko Pekovic, Dejan Savic, Danilo Ikodinovic 1, Viktor Jelenic, Veljko Uskokovic 1, Aleksandar Ciric, Aleksandar Sapic, Vladimir Vujasinovic, Nenad Vukanic, Denis Sefik. Head coach: Nenad Manojlovic.

Hernandez opened the scoring. Veljko Uskokovic leveled at 1:1, but Hernandez closed the first period with a goal for 2:1. The second quarter produced no goals. Danilo Ikodinovic equalized early in the third period (2:2). Shortly after, Hernandez added his third goal, and legendary center-forward Ivan Perez made it 4:2. In the last 10 minutes, there were no goals and Spain successfully defended the title won in Perth three years before.

I Spain became the first team to win two back-to-back titles at the men’s water polo tournament at the World Championships. Since 2001, nobody has defended the title of the men’s world water polo champion.

Lowest-scoring women’s final

The lowest-scoring final match of the World Women’s Championships was the match between Team USA and the Netherlands in Kazan in 2015.

The Americans won by a single goal – 5:4 (0:1, 2:1, 3:1, 0:1).

As for the 2021 Fukuoka tournament, Italy won the gold medal with a convincing 7:3 victory over Hungary in the final.

For more news and the schedule about the upcoming Worlds, visit Total Waterpolo’s 2023 World Championships page. 

More articles about the World Championships

More articles about water polo history

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more video content, subscribe to our Youtube Channel and Tik Tok account

 

Ivan Curcic
Ivan Curcic

Related posts

Bea Ortiz (Spain) Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo

July 15, 2025

Many one-sided contests on Day 3 of women’s tournament in Singapore, favorites meet expectations


Read more

Josip Vrlic of Croatia, Aljosa Macic of Montenegro (Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo)

July 14, 2025

Croatia and Italy take valuable points in thrillers


Read more

Photo: Nikola Krstic/European Aquatics

July 13, 2025

Italy shines in final of European U16 Championships and wins gold with perfect record


Read more

SUPPORT US ON PATREON

If you share our passion for water polo worldwide, consider becoming a cherished contributor to our cause, with as little as 5$/month.

SUPPORT US


Custom Team Gear

LEARN MORE

Shop Now

Looking for something?

✕
  • Many one-sided contests on Day 3 of women’s tournament in Singapore, favorites meet expectations
    July 15, 2025
  • Croatia and Italy take valuable points in thrillers
    July 14, 2025
  • Italy shines in final of European U16 Championships and wins gold with perfect record
    July 13, 2025
  • Home
  • Water Polo News
  • WearWaterpolo Shop
  • Contact Us
  • Project Superstar – TW Camp
  • BIWPA
  • Custom Team Equipment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
© 2021 Total Waterpolo. All Rights Reserved.
✕
CroMasters '24
Support Us
  • News
  • SINGAPORE 2025
    • Men’s tournament
    • Women’s tournament
  • Results
    • Champions League
      • Season 24/25
      • Season 23/24
      • Season 22/23
    • International
      • World Cup 2025 Men
      • European Championships
        • Eindhoven 2024 – Women
        • Croatia 2024 – Men
        • Split 2022
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2020
        • Barcelona 2018
      • World Championships
        • Doha 2024
          • Women
          • Men
        • Fukuoka 2023
          • Women
          • Men
        • Budapest 2022
          • Women
          • Men
      • Olympics
        • Tokyo 2020
          • Women
          • Men
        • Paris 2024
          • Women
          • Men
      • NCAA
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2024
        • NCAA Men’s Finals 2023
      • Pacific Cup 2024
    • National
      • Montenegro
        • Montenegrin League 2024/25
        • Montenegrin Cup 2024/25
      • Austria
        • Austrian League 2025 – Men
        • Austrian League 2024 – Women
        • Austrian League 2024 – Men
      • Nordic League
        • Nordic League Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League Women 2024/25
        • Nordic League U16 2024/25
        • Nordic Trophy Men 2024/25
        • Nordic League 2023/24
        • Nordic Trophy 2023/24
      • Hong Kong
        • Hong Kong Women’s League 24/25
        • Hong Kong Men’s League 24/25
      • AWL
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2024/25
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2023/24
        • Alpe Waterpolo League 2022/23
      • Slovenia
      • Lithuania
      • Latvia
      • Hungarian League 2023 – Men
      • French League 2023 – Men
      • Spanish League 2023 – Men
      • Italian League 2023 – Men
    • Masters
      • Masters Cup 2025
      • VAL League 2024/25
      • Sabac Masters 2024
      • Masters Cup 2024
      • Budva Masters 2024
    • Junior
      • DSV 98 Cup 2025
      • Summer Cup 2025
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U12
      • HaBaWaBa Spain 2025 – U10
      • HaBaWaBa Spain Plus 2025
      • Next Generation 2024 – Men
      • Next Generation 2024 -Women
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U10)
      • HaBaWaBa Easter 2024 (U12)
      • HabaWaba Spain Plus 2024
      • Plejade
      • Dobri Dupin
  • Transfers
  • Shop
  • Total Player
    • Total Player 2024
    • Total Player 2023
    • Total Player 2022
    • Total Player 2021
    • Total Player 2020
    • Total Player 2019
    • Total Player 2018
    • Total Player 2017

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalized content. By clicking "Accept All Cookies" or continuing to browse this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT