The Croatian men’s water polo team will gather on Sunday evening, 7 December, in Zagreb to launch their preparations for the 2026 European Championship, which will take place in Belgrade from 10 to 25 January. The training campaign marks the start of what the federation has termed the “Belgrade Mission”.
Earlier this week, head coach Ivica Tucak named a wider squad of 25 players who will begin work toward the tournament, in which Croatia contested the previous two finals. Croatia won the European title in Split in 2022 before securing silver at the 2024 Championships held in Dubrovnik and Zagreb.
Burić to Join the Squad on 14 December
All selected players are expected to report to Zagreb on Sunday evening, with the exception of Rino Burić, who will join the national team later, on 14 December, due to club commitments with Pro Recco.
“The first phase of preparation, until 16 December and our departure for Hungary, will be focused on player recovery, considering the workload they have had at their clubs,” Tucak said. “However, as there is very little time before our first match in Belgrade on 10 January, we will simultaneously begin addressing tactical and technical details. We want to correct certain aspects that were not at the level we required during the World Championships in Singapore. On 16 December, before travelling to Hungary, we will also reduce the squad by five or six players.”
During their stay in Hungary, Croatia will play a training match against the Hungarian national team in Budapest on 17 December, followed by an official friendly in Szeged on 18 December. After returning home, the players will have a short break before a second camp in Split from 21 to 23 December. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be spent with their families, with the next gathering scheduled for 26 December in Zagreb.
From 27 to 29 December, Croatia will take part in a tournament in Rotterdam, facing the Netherlands, Spain and Romania. The team will then rest until 2 January, followed by training sessions in Dubrovnik until 4 January, after which they will travel to Budva for sparring with Montenegro. The final gathering is set for 8 January in Zagreb, with the team departing for Belgrade on 9 January.
Croatia – Extended Squad for Belgrade 2026 Preparations
Goalkeepers
- Marko Bijač – Jadran
- Toni Popadić – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Ivan Marcelić – Mladost
- Mauro Ivan Čubranić – Mladost
Centres
- Luka Lončar – Mladost
- Josip Vrlić – Mladost
- Branimir Herceg – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Viktor Tončinić – Mladost
Defenders
- Rino Burić – Pro Recco
- Matias Biljaka – Mladost
- Marko Žuvela – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Filip Kržić – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Mislav Ćurković – Jadran
- Roko Akrap – Solaris
Attackers
- Luka Bukić – Mladost
- Loren Fatović – Jadran
- Ante Vukičević – Mladost
- Franko Lazić – Mladost
- Konstantin Harkov – Mladost
- Zvonimir Butić – Jadran
- Andrija Bašić – Mladost
- Vlaho Pavlić – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Maro Šušić – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Ante Jerković – Jug Adriatic osiguranje
- Tin Brubnjak – Primorje EB
Coaching Staff
– Ivica Tucak – Head Coach
– Jure Marelja – Assistant Coach
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