Spain defeated the USA 14:11 in the final of the World U20 Championships in Zagreb.
This victory is Spain’s first title as world junior champions in 34 years, having previously won gold in Irvine in 1991. Additionally, it is Spain’s first medal at the World Junior Men’s Championships after 2011.
Spain finished the tournament with an impressive perfect record of 6-0.
Meanwhile, Team USA, which started the Championships with a disappointing 10: 19 loss to Croatia, has no reason to feel disheartened. This was the first time in history that a male water polo team from the USA reached the final of the World Championships across all age categories.
The final match was filled with excitement. Spain initially took the lead, going up 4:1. However, early in the third quarter, the Americans surged ahead with a 3-goal advantage at 8:5. In the end, Spain showed its best in the fourth quarter once again.
Host Croatia won bronze, defeating Hungary 13:8. A strong defensive effort, along with a 7:0 run in the first half, was key to the home team’s victory.
Serbia finished in 5th place, followed by Montenegro, Greece, and Italy. Germany topped the lower half of the standings, beating Australia 13:12 in the 9th-place match.
2025 World U20 Championships, Day 8
Final
USA – Spain 11:14 (1:3, 6:2, 1:3, 3:6)
USA: Ohl 3, Liechty 2, Brinkema 2, Dodd 2, Castillo 1, Stanley 1.
Spain: Sabadell 6, Gmila 2, Villamayor 1, Flaque 1, Perrone 1, Rodriguez 1, Aguirre 1, Lema 1.
Spain built a 2-goal lead in the first quarter, while Sabadell made it 4:1 after 19 seconds of play in the second period. However, the Americans caught up with the rival with three quick goals within just 90 seconds – 4:4. Rodriguez put Spain in front again – 5:4 – in the 11th minute. Team USA then went on a new 3:0 run and headed into the second half with a 7:5 lead.
The second half started excellently for Team USA. Ohl made it 8:5. Spain’s goalless phase lasted for more than eight minutes. Flaque ended that silence with an action goal (6:8). In the last two minutes of the third period, the Spaniards leveled with goals by Villamayor (a penalty shot) and Gomilla (an extra player) and the teams entered the final eight minutes tied at 8:8.
Brinkema gave the USA a 9:8 lead from a penalty, but Spain’s best scorer at the tournament, Oier Aguirre, replied immediately with a nice backhander. It was his first goal in the gold-medal match . By the middle of the final period, the teams traded the goals, so the score was 11:11 with four and a half minutes remaining.But,in the following few minutes, there were no goals. The teams became more nervous and started missing chances. Two and a half minutes before the end, Sabadell converted a man-up and gave Spain the first lead in the second half – 12:11. Spain had stronger nerves in a thrilling finish. Tomas Perrone sealed the Europeans’ win with a penalty shot goal at 00:55. Sabadell set the final score by sending the ball into the unguarded net in the last minute.
Bronze-medal game
Hungary – Croatia 8:13 (2:4, 2:4, 1:2, 3:3)
Hungary: Cseh 3, Leinweber 2, Nagy 1,Varga 1, Balogh 1.
Croatia: Penava 4, Pavlic 4, Susic 2, Jerkovic 1, Dragosevic 1, Curkovic 1.
Reigning European junior champion Croatia dominated Hungary, the outgoing World U20 champion, in the bronze medal match.
Croatia’s defense, commanded by Mauro Ivan Cubranic with 18 saves, performed exceptionally well for most of the match. The Hungarians initially took a 2:0 lead within the first three minutes, but the Croatian defense held them scoreless for the next ten and a half minutes. During this interval, Croatian attackers, including the best scorers Penava and Pavlic, scored seven times, taking a 7:2 lead. After this 0:7 run, Hungary struggled to recover and was unable to get back into the match. The Croatian defense effectively contained Hungary’s captain, Leinweber, who managed to score only two goals.
Mauro Ivan Cubranic All photos by CRO WP (Croatian Water Polo Federation)
Croatia’s strong defensive play allowed them to create numerous chances through quick attacks. Midway through the third quarter, Penava scored on a counterattack, extending Croatia’s lead to six goals for the first time at 10:4.
In the fourth period, Hungary managed to cut the deficit to three goals at 7:10. However, the Croats regained control of the game in a timely manner, and their well-deserved victory was never in jeopardy. Two and a half minutes before the end, Pavlic made it 11:7 from a 6 on 5 and decided everything. In the rest of the game, Croatia regained a five-goal lead.
5th-place game
Serbia – Montenegro 21:14 (6:5, 5:3, 6:4, 4:2)
Serbia:Kojic 4, Gladovic 3, Andjelic 3, Djokanovic 3, Novakovic 2, Neskovic 2, Gajic 1, Conkic 1, Dankovic 1, Jaukovic 1.
Montenegro: Stupar 6, Janovic 3, Hadzic 1, Perov 1, Markovic 1, Radanovic 1, Samardzic 1.
For the second consecutive day, Serbia scored 21 goals, following their 21:16 victory over Italy yesterday, and secured 5th place in the competition.
The match was closely contested until the middle of the second quarter, with both teams trading leads several times. Montenegro’s last lead came early in the second quarter, at 7:6. Following that, Serbia went on a 5:1 scoring run, establishing a commanding 11:8 lead. In the third period, Montenegro managed to reduce the deficit to two goals on three occasions (9:11, 10:12, 11:13). However, Serbia tightened their defense, and Djokanoviv scored twice, followed by goals from Novakovic and Gajić, increasing the score to 17:12 by the end of the period. Montenegro was unable to recover in the fourth quarter.
Serbia finished in 5th place, but for the first time in 18 years, it isn’t among the medal winners. The last World U20 Championships, where the Serbs went home without a medal, were in Long Beach in 2007, when Serbia finished in 4th place.
7th-place game
Italy – Greece 10:12 (2:4, 3:2,2 1:4, 4:2)
Italy: Giacomone 3, Marini 2, Gullotta 1, Di Corato 1, Nuzzo 1, Cora 1, Gandolfo 1.
Greece: Lykoudis 3, Bitsakos 3, Giannatos 3, Georgaras 2, Spachits 1.
Greece secured its victory in the third quarter. The teams were tied at 6:6 just two minutes into the third quarter. However, Greece scored four unanswered goals by the last break, taking a 10:6 lead by the end of that period. Italy did not give up; they began to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to one point at 10:11 with 3:31 remaining on the clock. Despite Italy’s efforts, the only player to score in the closing minutes was Lykoudis from Greece, allowing his team to finish in 7th place.
Classification 9th – 12th place
9th-place match
Australia – Germany 12:13 (3:3, 1:4, 3:3, 4:2)
Germany built a 3-goal lead multiple times during the match (3:0,7:4, 8:5, 10:7), but the persistent Australians were constantly coming back into the game. Midway through the fourth quarter, they leveled at 11:11. Still, the Germans quickly answered with two goals for 13:11. The “Shakrs” scored the last goal in the game with 31 seconds remaining. Germany’s Taubert was the top scorer with four goals.
11th-place match
Iran – China 11:13 (2:3, 2:1, 3:6, 4:3)
China was almost always in front in the Asian derby (Iran led only once – 4:3). However, the Chinese didn’t earn an away win. Deep into the third period, they built a three goal lead for the first time (9:6). The rivals exchanged the goals in the rest of the match. The Iranians narrowed the gap to two goals several times, but China didn’t let them come closer.
13th – 20th place classification
13th- place match
Brazil – Canada 17:8 (4:2, 5:1, 3:3, 5:2)
15th-place match
Argentina – Kazakhstan 14:7 (5:2, 2:0, 3:2, 4:3)
Final standings: 1. Spain, 2. USA, 3.Croatia, 4. Hungary, 5. Serbia, 6. Montenegro, 7. Greece, 8. Italy, 9. Germany, 10. Australia, 11. China, 12. Iran, 13. Brazil, 14. Canada, 15. Argentina, 16. Kazakhstan, 17. Colombia, 18. Singapore, 19. South Africa, 19. New Zealand.
All medalists
1981 (Milan): 1. USSR, 2. Cuba, 3. Hungary
1983 (Barcelona): 1. Spain, 2. Yugoslavia, 3. Cuba
1985 (Istanbul): 1. USSR, 2. Hungary, 3. Yugoslavia
1987 (Sao Paulo):1. Spain,2. Yugoslavia, 3. Italy
1989 (Narbonne): 1. Yugoslavia, 2. USSR, 3. East Germany
1991 (Irvine): 1. Spain 2. Cuba, 3. Hungary
1993 (Cairo): 1. Italy, 2. Spain, 3. Hungary
1995 (Dunkirk): 1. Hungary, 2. Greece, 3. Slovakia
1997 (Havana): 1. Croatia, 2. Hungary, 3. Greece
1999 (Kuwait): 1. Italy, 2. Australia, 3. Yugoslavia
2001 (Istanbul): 1. Greece, 2. Croatia, 3. Hungary
2003 (Naples): 1. Serbia and Montenegro, 2. Hungary, 3. Italy
2005 (Mar del Plata): 1. Serbia and Montenegro, 2. Croatia, 3. Spain
2007 (Long Beach): 1. Hungary, 2. Italy, 3. Croatia
2009 (Sibenik): 1. Croatia, 2. Greece, 3. Serbia
2011 (Volos): 1. Serbia, 2. Spain, 3. Greece
2013 (Szombhathely): 1. Italy, 2. Croatia, 3. Serbia
2015 (Almaty): 1. Serbia, 2. Italy, 3. Hungary
2017 (Belgrade): 1. Greece, 2. Croatia, 3. Serbia
2019 (Kuwait):1. Greece, 2. Serbia, 3. Italy
2021 (Prague): 1. Serbia, 2. Italy, 3. Montenegro
2023 (Otopeni): 1. Hungary, 2. Serbia, 3. USA
2025 (Zagreb): 1. Spain 2. USA, 3. Croatia
Articles about World men’s junior and youth championships
