European Aquatics has officially confirmed that Belgrade, Serbia, will host the 2026 Men’s European Water Polo Championships, as the competition returns to a two-city format.
The men’s tournament will be held from January 10 to 25, while the women’s competition—also featuring 16 teams—will be staged in a separate city, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.
This dual-host approach mirrors the successful structure of the 2024 edition, where Spain captured men’s gold in Croatia and the Netherlands triumphed in front of a home crowd in Eindhoven.
Revamped Tournament Structure for 2026
European Aquatics also unveiled a new tournament format for both the men’s and women’s events, designed to increase competitiveness and add clarity to the pathway toward the medal rounds.
The men’s tournament in Belgrade will be played over 16 days and feature a two-phase group stage:
- Group Stage I will consist of four groups of four teams, each featuring two sides from the 2024 top eight and two teams that advanced through qualification. Teams will play three matches across alternating days.
- The top three teams from each group will progress to Group Stage II, forming two new groups of six (Groups E and F), based on the original pools. All results from the first stage will carry over.
- In Group Stage II, teams will play three additional games against new opponents. The top two sides from each group will then qualify for the semi-finals (1st–4th place). Teams ranked 3rd to 6th will contest classification matches to determine final standings from 5th to 12th.
The teams finishing last in Group Stage I will face off in a round-robin to decide positions 13th–16th.
The women’s tournament will follow a similar structure, albeit condensed over 11 days. The initial four groups of four will lead into a second group phase for the top eight teams, followed by classification and medal matches. The bottom eight from the first stage will be regrouped to determine rankings from 9th to 16th.
MVP Honors and All-Star Selections
In a first for the competition, Most Valuable Player awards will be presented following each semi-final, bronze medal match, and final. Additionally, a panel of experts will select an All-Star Seven—the standout performers across both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
Qualified Nations and Summer Showdowns
Eight men’s teams have already secured their spots in Belgrade: Serbia, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Greece, Montenegro, Hungary, and Romania. The remaining eight will be decided via qualification tournaments held in Malta, Slovenia, Türkiye, and Georgia (June 8–11, 2025).
In the women’s field, Netherlands, Spain, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Hungary, France, and Croatia have all punched their tickets. Four qualification tournaments, scheduled for June 6–8, will take place in Portugal, Germany, Serbia, and Slovakia to complete the final lineup.
A Return to a Historic Venue
The Belgrade Arena—one of the most iconic indoor venues in Europe—will once again take center stage. The venue famously hosted the 2016 European Championships, drawing a record-breaking crowd of more than 18,000 spectators. Serbia emerged victorious in that edition, defeating Montenegro in a memorable final.
The 2026 Championships will mark the 37th edition of the men’s tournament. Hungary remains the most successful men’s team with 13 titles. On the women’s side, the upcoming tournament will be the 21st edition, with the Netherlands leading the all-time gold medal count with six, followed closely by Italy with five.
Further details regarding the women’s host city and the full competition draw will be announced in the coming months.