The 2026 Men’s Champions League Final Four delivered records, dramatic comebacks and a new champion as Zodiac CNAB defeated Pro Recco 17-16 in Malta.
Barceloneta ended a 12-year wait for their second European crown, while FTC-Telekom recovered from their semifinal disappointment to defeat Olympiacos in the bronze-medal match.
From the highest-scoring final in competition history to CNAB’s remarkable winning sequence, here are 15 statistics to know from the Men’s Final Four.
1. Thirty-three goals made it the highest-scoring final ever
CNAB’s 17-16 victory over Pro Recco produced 33 goals, making it the highest-scoring Champions League final in history.
The previous record was 26, set when Recco and Novi Beograd drew 13-13 before penalties in the 2022 final.
Remarkably, the old record had already been matched during the third quarter in Malta, when Francesco Condemi equalised at 13-13.
2. The opening quarter also set a record
The teams were tied at 6-6 after only eight minutes.
Those 12 goals made it the highest-scoring opening period ever played in a Champions League final.
It was an extraordinary contrast to CNAB’s semifinal against FTC, which finished 9-9 after the full 32 minutes of regular time.
3. CNAB defeated the winners of the previous six editions
In the space of just 48 hours, Barceloneta eliminated the clubs that had won each of the previous six completed Champions League tournaments.
They defeated 2024 and 2025 champions FTC in the semifinal before overcoming Pro Recco, who lifted the trophy in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
With the 2020 tournament cancelled, FTC and Recco had shared every completed title since Olympiacos won in 2018.
4. Their winning streak reached 34 matches
The victory over Recco extended CNAB’s winning streak across all competitions to 34 consecutive matches.
They arrived at the Final Four on a 32-match unbeaten sequence before adding victories over FTC and Recco in Malta.
Their successful run eventually ended with the biggest prize in European club water polo.
5. Barceloneta waited 12 years for their second title
CNAB’s first Champions League crown came in 2014, when they defeated Radnicki in Barcelona.
Their second arrived 12 years later in Malta.
The club have therefore won both Champions League finals they have contested.
6. CNAB became the first Spanish men’s club to win twice
The triumph made Barceloneta the first Spanish men’s club to win Europe’s leading club competition on two occasions.
Their second crown moved them ahead of Catalunya, who won the tournament in 1995.
7. Recco scored 12 goals in the first half and still lost
Pro Recco produced an exceptional attacking performance during the opening two quarters and led 12-11 at half-time.
CNAB responded by winning the second half 6-4, taking both the third and fourth periods by 3-2.
After 23 goals arrived in the first half, the second contained only ten.
8. Recco converted their first eight man-ups
The Italian side were perfect on extra-player opportunities throughout the first half, converting all eight of their chances.
Despite that exceptional efficiency, Recco led by only one goal at the interval.
CNAB successfully defended Recco’s first man-up of the second half before immediately beginning their comeback.
9. Barceloneta recovered from three goals down
Recco established a three-goal lead twice during the second quarter, moving ahead at 10-7 and 11-8.
Barceloneta cut the gap to one before half-time and then scored the opening two goals of the third period to take a 13-12 lead.
It was another demonstration of the resilience they had already shown during their semifinal against FTC.
10. Nine different CNAB players scored in the final
Barceloneta’s 17 goals were spread across nine players.
Gergo Burian and Unai Biel led the team with three each, while Roger Tahull, Marc Valls, Bernat Sanahuja and Alberto Munarriz scored twice.
Alessandro Velotto, Alex Bustos and Biel Gomila also found the net.
11. Nobody scored more than three goals
Despite the final producing a record total of 33 goals, no individual player scored more than three times.
Burian and Biel reached three for CNAB, while Condemi and Matteo Iocchi Gratta did the same for Recco.
The record-breaking total was therefore created by collective attacking depth rather than one dominant scorer.
12. CNAB won without the competition’s leading scorer
Barceloneta completed their Final Four triumph without the injured Vince Vigvari.
The Hungarian international had been the leading scorer in the 2025/26 Champions League before missing the decisive tournament.
CNAB still scored 30 times across the semifinal and final, including the penalty shootout against FTC.
13. Alberto Munarriz was named Final Four MVP
CNAB captain Alberto Munarriz was selected as the tournament’s most valuable player.
He scored twice in the final and was one of the figures connecting the club’s two European triumphs, having also been part of the 2014 championship-winning team.
14. Fran Fernandez won in his first Champions League season as head coach
Fran Fernandez guided Barceloneta to the European title during his first Champions League campaign as the team’s head coach.
He had previously won the competition as a CNAB player in 2014.
Twelve years later, he returned to the top of Europe from the bench, while former teammate Munarriz captained the side in the water.
15. The Final Four produced record scoring in both the semifinal and final
Pro Recco’s 19-13 victory over Olympiacos set a new record for the most goals scored by one team in a Champions League semifinal.
Two days later, Recco were involved in another record when their 17-16 defeat to CNAB became the highest-scoring final.
Recco therefore scored 35 goals across two Final Four matches but returned home with the silver medal.
More numbers from Malta
CNAB’s semifinal victory also ended a run of six unsuccessful Champions League semifinal appearances since their 2014 triumph.
Unai Aguirre made his 13th save during the penalty shootout against FTC, while Barceloneta converted all four of their attempts to win 13-11 following a 9-9 draw.
In the bronze-medal match, FTC recovered from two goals behind and closed the game with a 7-2 run to defeat Olympiacos 16-13. The Hungarian champions won the fourth quarter 5-2 to ensure they still returned home from Malta with a medal.
For Recco, the defeat brought a ninth Champions League silver medal, while Gonzalo Echenique celebrated his fifth title after previously winning with Barceloneta in 2014 and Recco in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Read more about the Women’s Champions League
Read more about the water polo Champions League
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X