The upcoming World Cup for Division 1 and Division 2, set for early 2025, promise high-stakes competition as they determine qualification for the prestigious Water Polo World Cup—Super Final. Hosted in Bucharest, Romania, Istanbul, Turkey, and Alexandroupoli, Greece, these events will gather top men’s and women’s teams worldwide. With participants vying for World Cup spots, these tournaments will also serve as a testing ground for newly proposed water polo rules, providing a preview of potential changes to come in the sport’s evolution leading up to the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
MEN’S TOURNAMENT
In the tournament’s Group Stage, teams will be divided into four groups of three, except Group D, which will only have two teams. Each team will play two games in this stage, with Group D’s teams facing each other twice before advancing to the knockout rounds, including the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.
Seeding for this Division 1 event was determined by the results from the Men’s Water Polo Tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Group A: Hungary, France, Spain
Group B: Serbia, Montenegro, Greece
Group C: United States, Japan, Romania
Group D: Croatia, Georgia
Istanbul, Turkey, will host both men’s and women’s Division 2 tournaments. The women’s matches will run from December 14-17, 2024, followed immediately by the men’s tournament from December 18-21, 2024.
The Division 2 tournaments, open to teams from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, will feature a Group Stage with four groups of three teams each, followed by Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.
Group A: Iran, Kazakhstan, South Africa
Group B: Great Britain, Portugal, China
Group C: Malta, Singapore, Germany
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Slovakia
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
Alexandroupoli, Greece, will host the Women’s Division 1 water polo tournament from January 14-19, 2025, with eight teams having qualified through prior international competition: Australia, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Spain, and the USA.
The tournament’s Group Phase will feature two groups of four teams, structured for seeding purposes ahead of the knockout stages, which will include Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.
The seeding for the Women’s Division 1 Tournament was determined based on the results of the Women’s Water Polo Tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Group A: Spain, United States, Greece, Hungary
Group B: Netherlands, Australia, Israel, Italy
Draw Results | Women’s Division 2 Tournament:
This tournament will begin with a Group Phase featuring four groups of three teams, advancing to Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals.
Group A: Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Turkey
Group B: Germany, Czechia, Singapore
Group C: South Africa, China, Japan
Group D: Portugal, Croatia, France
Six teams from each Division 1 tournament will qualify for the 2025 Water Polo World Cup—Super Final, joining two additional men’s and women’s teams advancing from the Division 2 tournaments.
Additionally, the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore will host 16-team tournaments for both men and women.
