Brazil completed a golden double at the 2026 South American Games after winning both the men’s and women’s water polo titles in Rosario.
Both Brazilian teams finished the competition unbeaten, with Argentina taking silver in each tournament and Colombia claiming both bronze medals. The water polo competition ran from September 21-26 at the Invencible Centro Acuatico Provincial.
The men’s final produced the closest contest of the medal day, with Brazil edging hosts Argentina 16-15.
The match remained finely balanced throughout before Brazil did enough to secure the one-goal victory and complete a perfect seven-from-seven campaign.
Rafael Vergara led the Brazilian attack in the final, while Carlos Camnasio was Argentina’s leading scorer.
The victory gave Brazil the South American title and also secured qualification for the next Pan American Games.
Brazil’s men finished the tournament with seven victories from seven matches, continuing an unbeaten run from the group stage through to the gold-medal game.
Earlier in the day, Brazil had already secured the women’s title with a convincing 12-5 victory over Argentina.
The hosts started positively, but Brazil turned the game around and gradually established control before pulling clear to win by seven.
Kemily Leao, Jeniffer Cavalcante and Leticia Belorio were among Brazil’s leading scorers in the final, while Julieta Auliel was one of Argentina’s main attacking threats.
Like the men, Brazil’s women completed the entire competition unbeaten, winning all seven of their matches and securing their own qualification for the Pan American Games.
Colombia completed an identical podium in both competitions.
In the women’s bronze-medal match, Colombia defeated Chile 18-12, while the Colombian men secured third place with a 16-8 victory over Uruguay.
The results left Brazil, Argentina and Colombia occupying the top three positions in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
South American Games 2026 – Medal matches
Women
Gold: Brazil 12-5 Argentina
Bronze: Colombia 18-12 Chile
Men
Gold: Brazil 16-15 Argentina
Bronze: Colombia 16-8 Uruguay
Brazil therefore leave Santa Fe 2026 with both water polo gold medals and two places secured at the next Pan American Games.
Homepage
Read more about international water polo competitions
Visit the WP360 Shop!
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X