The water polo calendar will be very busy in the first few weeks of 2026. From January 10 to 25, the European Championships for men will be held in Belgrade. After the tournament in Belgrade, the Women’s Europeans will take place in Funchal, the capital city of the Portuguese island of Madeira.
However, due to the European Championships moving to winter in a non-Olympic year, the summer season for the senior national teams will be very short. The only major tournament in the summer of 2026 will be a six-day World Cup Final in Sydney, for both men and women, from July 20 to 25. The eight teams will participate in each of the Final Eights that consist of three competition days (quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final day).
The list of teams participating in the Sydney tournament will be finalized in April and May, after the qualification tournaments. The top six teams from the World Cup Division 1 and the top two from Division 2 will advance to the Final Eight in Sydney. The Australian national teams are qualified automatically as the hosts. The organizers of the tournaments in Division 1 and 2 are yet to be determined.
This year, the World U16 and U18 Championships, along with the European U20 Championships, will be held. The World U16 Championships for both boys and girls will take place in Zagreb. While the dates for the other four tournaments have been announced, the host locations have not yet been determined.
As for the European clubs’ competitions, the 2025/26 season will resume on February 11 with the 6th round of the Men’s Champions League Group Stage. The season will be paused again for a short time due to the World Cup Divisions 1 and 2 and will conclude in the second week of June. For the first time, the Final Fours of the Women’s and the Men’s Champions League will be organized at the same time and in the same place. Both F4s will take place in Malta. The ladies will battle for the title on May 10 and 12, while the men will play on May 11 and 13.
The first trophy in the international clubs’ competitions will be awarded in March at the final tournament of the Men’s Challenger Cup. The venue will be determined after the second qualification round, which will take place in February.
Major water polo events 2026
JANUARY
January 10 – 25: European Men’s Championships, Belgrade (Serbia)
January 26 – February 5: European Women’s Championships, Funchal (Portugal)
MARCH
March 12 – 15: Men’s Challenger Cup, Final Eight, the host to be confirmed
March 21 – 22: Women’s Challenger Cup, Final Four, the host TBC
March 26 – 29: Women’s Conference Cup, Final Eight, the host TBC
APRIL
April 6 – 12: Men’s World Cup Division 1, the host TBC
April 7 – 12: Men’s World Cup Division 2, the host TBC
April 21 – 26: Women’s World Cup Division 2, the host TBC
MAY
May 1 – 6: Women’s World Cup, Division 1, the host TBC
May 2 – 3: Men’s Conference Cup Final Four, the host TBC
May 23 and June 6: Men’s Euro Cup Final
May 27 and June 3: Women’s Euro Cup Final
JUNE
June 10 – 12: Women’s Champions League Final Four, Malta
June 11 – 13: Men’s Champions League Final Four, Malta
June 27 – July 4: World Men’s U18 Championships, the host TBC
JULY
July 20 – 25: Men’s and Women’s World Cup Final Eights, Sydney (Australia)
July 24 – August 8: Central American and Caribbean Games, Santo Domingo (Puerto Rico)
July 25 – 31: World Women’s U16 Championships, Zagreb (Croatia)
July 25 – August 1: European Women’s U20 Championships, the host TBC
AUGUST
August 3 – 9: World Men’s U16 Championships, Zagreb (Croatia)
August 16 – 23: World Women’s U18 Championships, the host TBC
August 21 – September 3: Mediterranean Games, Taranto (Italy)
August 24 – 30: European Men’s U20 Championships, the host TBC
August: Pan American U19 Championships, the host and the dates TBC
SEPTEMBER
September 19 – October 4: Asian Games, Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya
OCTOBER
October/November: European Aquatics Super Cups for men and women, TBC
