The most thrilling season of what is probably the second-best league in the world (after the Champions League) will conclude on Saturday. The Final Four of the Regional League will take place in Herceg Novi on March 28 and 29.
Jadran Herceg Novi secured the top spot in the regular season thanks to a row of 17 wins that has lasted since November, earning the right to host the Final Four.
The Montenegrins will face Jadran Split in the semifinals tomorrow, while the other matchup will see Novi Beograd and Radnicki clash in a Serbian derby.
Jadran Split is the only team among the four that has yet to win the Regional League title. Despite finishing fourth in the regular season and facing the hosts in the semifinals, the Croatian champion has a legitimate chance of lifting the trophy.
With no clear underdogs, all four teams are strong contenders for the gold medal.
Water polo lovers will enjoy two days of great water polo in Herceg Novi.
Skver pool, the venue of the F4 Photo by PVK Jadran Herceg Novi
Jadran Herceg Novi – Jadran Split (17:30)
The first semifinal between the two Jadran teams starts at 17:30. Jadran Herceg Novi earned the right to host the Final Four for the first time. The Montenegrin side has won the title twice before, in 2010 ( in Dubrovnik) and 2011 (in Rijeka). This season, they reinforced their squad significantly, welcoming back water polo legend Aleksandar Ivovic. Besides him, Djordje Lazic, Dimitrije Obradovic, and Vuk Milojevic were significant additions. These players joined an already very good team featuring Dmitri Kholod, Danilo Radovic, 18-year-old Strahinja Gojkovic (the team’s third-best scorer this season), and others.
The team from Herceg Novi, led by returning coach Vladimir Gojkovic (who won the Regional League as a player), has experienced ups and downs this season. However, since November, the Montenegrins have found their rhythm. Convincing victories against Novi Beograd (13:8) and Jadran in Split (11:5) demonstrated that Jadran Herceg Novi has the potential to achieve great success.
Jerko Marinic Kragic (Jadran S) tries to shot over Danilo Radovic (Jadran HN) Photo by PVK Jadran Herceg Novi
Unlike the Montenegrin club, Jadran Split lost several key players during the transfer window, with their only big reinforcement being world-class goalkeeper Marko Bijac. However, the team, in which Bijac, Loren Fatovic, Zvonimir Butic, and Jerko Marinic Kragic play pivotal roles, remained a dangerous opponent to any team this season. Mighty Ferencvaros had to work hard to earn a victory against Jadran in Split in the Champions League, securing a 12:10 win thanks to two goals scored in the final 60 seconds. The Split-based side, coached by Jure Marelja, is the only team to have achieved an away win against Jadran Herceg Novi this season (13:12 in October). But, the Croatian champion has struggled in the last two months, suffering several defeats, including a painful 8:17 loss to Novi Beograd. However, nothing is impossible if Jadran Split gives its best against its namesake. After three Regional League silver medals in a row, the team from Split has a strong desire to take the throne.
Novi Beograd – Radnicki (20.30)
Since its debut in the Regional League four years ago, Novi Beograd has won the trophy twice (in 2022 and 2024) and secured one bronze medal (in 2023). Over the past few years, Novi Beograd has been a strong favorite in all competitions, boasting a roster filled with superstars.
Last summer, Radnicki composed a “dream team” by signing five reigning Olympic champions: Nikola and Petar Jaksic, Strahinja Rasovic, Radomir Drasovic, and Radoslav Filipovic. Due to an excellent offer, Dusko Pijetlovic postponed his retirement and joined the team, which is guided by the coach of the Olympic champions, Uros Stevanovic.
In contrast, Novi Beograd rejuvenated the team and handed over the role of the favorite in the Serbian and regional competitions to Radnicki. However, head coach Zivko Gocic has done an excellent job with a squad that combines experience and youth. Experienced players like Angelos Vlachopoulos, Milos Cuk, and Dimitrios Skoumpakis have received strong support from rising stars such as Vasilije Martinovic, Djuro Radovic, and Miroslav Perkovic, as well as goalkeeper Milan Glusac and players of the “middle generation” like Nikola Lukic, Djordje Vucinic, and Bilal Gbadamassi. Novi Beograd has maintained a consistent level of performance since the beginning of the season. The Belgrade team has kept a perfect record in the Champions League. The reigning champion defeated Radnicki twice in the autumn (14:10 and 11:9) and came very close to securing 1st place in the regular season.
Radnicki’s Vasic attepmts to block Milos Cuk (Novi Beograd) Photo by WPF of Serbia
The new team of Radnicki struggled at the beginning, with several disappointing performances in the first half of the season. However, like Jadran Herceg Novi, Radnicki began showing its true strength in 2025. The Kragujevac-based team managed to defeat Novi Beograd (16:14 in February). It narrowly lost close matches in Herceg Novi (12:13) and Split (20:21 in a penalty shootout). The Kragujevac-based team reached the Euro Cup semifinals. In the previous several weeks, it proved that it could to win the Regional League for the second time in the club’s history (the first trophy was won in Zagreb in 2021).
Schedule
Friday, March 28
Jadran Herceg Novi – Jadran Split (17:30)
Novi Beograd – Radnicki (20:30)
Saturday, March 29
Final (19.30)
A 3rd-place match won’t be played. The bronze medal will be awarded to the losing semifinalists who were better placed in the regular season.
All winners
2009: Jug
2010: Jadran HN
2011: Jadran HN
2012: Pro Recco
2013: Primorje
2014: Primorje
2015: Primorje
2016: Jug
2017: Jug
2018: Jug
2019: Mladost
2020:Mladost
2021: Radnicki
2022: Novi Beograd
2023: Jug
2024: Novi Beograd
