European Aquatics has changed the regulations for its age-group competitions to align with the World Aquatics Cadet and Youth Championships.
Starting in 2025, the European U16 and U18 Championships will be introduced, replacing the previous continental championships for U15 and U17 players.
The draw for all age-group competitions taking place this summer was held today.
The tournaments will be played in Romania, Turkiye, Portugal, Slovenia and Malta. The names of many teams were in the pots today.
Men’s European age-groups Championships 2025
A new format will be applied for the men’s age-group championships. There are no qualifications for the junior and youth Europeans.
The men’s teams will be divided into two divisions from this season: Division Elite and Division 1. In the men’s Division Elite, the top 16 teams, based on previous European Championships results (for U15 and U17 players), will compete. The remaining teams will play in Division 1.
At the end of the tournament, the two highest-ranking teams from Division 1 will be promoted to Division Elite for the 2026/27 season, replacing the two lowest-ranked teams from the top division.
But, in each Elite division, the teams will be split into two sub-divisions. The 1st-placed and 2nd-placed teams from Groups A and B will advance to the quarterfinals. The 3rd-placed and 4th-placed from these groups will face the top two teams from Groups C and D in the crossover round.
European U18 Men’s Championships, Elite (Oradea, Romania, August 18 – 24)
Sub-division 1
Group A: Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands.
Group B: Serbia, Spain, Montenegro, Croatia.
Sub-division 2
Group C: Turkiye, France, Romania, Poland.
Group D: Germany, Malta, Georgia, Ukraine.
European U18 Men’s Championships, Division 1 (Rio Major, Portugal, August 18 – 24)
Group A: Slovakia, Czech Republic, Moldova.
Group B: Bulgaria, Switzerland, Ireland, Denmark.
Group C: Israel, Great Britain, Belgium, Austria.
Group D: Lithuania, Portugal, Finland.
European U16 Men’s Championships, Elite (Manisa, Turkiye, July 7 – 13)
Sub-division 1
Group A: Hungary, Serbia, Spain, Turkiye
Group B: Montenegro, Greece, Italy, Croatia
Sub-division 2
Group C: Malta, Netherlands, Georgia, Moldova
Group D: Germany, Romania, Israel, Poland
European U16 Men’s Championships, Division 1 (Ljubljana, July 7 – 13)
Group A: Bulgaria, Slovenia, France, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovakia
Group B: Czech Republic, Switzerland, Ukraine,Latvia, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Women’s European age-groups Championships 2025
All teams that entered the Women’s U16 and U18 Championships will compete in the same division, which will be divided into two ranks. The top eight teams from the previous U15 and U17 championships will compete in Division 1 (Groups A and B), while the remaining teams will be placed in Division 2 (Groups C and D).
The competition format is the same as that used for the men’s Elite championships. The top two teams from Groups A and B will advance to the quarterfinals. Additionally, the teams finishing in 3rd and 4th place in Division 1 will face off in the eighth-finals against the top four teams from Division 2.
European U18 Women’s Championships (Gzira, Malta, September 2 – 7)
Division 1
Group A: Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Turkiye.
Group B: Spain, Greece, Israel,Croatia.
Division 2
Group C: Serbia, Malta, Ireland, Ukraine, Germany,
Group D: Slovakia, Great Britain, Romania, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria.
European U16 Women’s Championships (Manisa, Turkiye, June 27 – July 3),
Division 1
Group A: Spain, Hungary, Netherlands, Serbia,
Group B: Greece, Italy, Croatia, Germany.
Division 2
Group C: Turkiye, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France.
Group D: Israel, Romania, Ukraine, Malta.
