European Aquatics has officially confirmed that the 2026 European Women’s Water Polo Championships will be held in Funchal, Portugal, from January 26 to February 5.
In line with a new structure, the women’s and men’s tournaments will be held separately for the first time. While Funchal welcomes the continent’s top women’s teams, the men’s championships will be staged earlier in Belgrade, Serbia, from January 10 to 25.
The 2026 edition will also feature a revamped competition format aimed at increasing competitiveness and clarity in the tournament structure. Sixteen teams will participate in the women’s championship, beginning with four groups of four teams in the opening phase. Each group will contain two teams from the top eight of the 2024 championships and two nations that earned their place through qualifiers.
The top two teams from each preliminary group will progress to the second phase, Group Stage II, forming two new groups of four: Group E (combining Groups A and C) and Group F (from Groups B and D). Teams will carry forward their points and results from the first stage and play two more matches against new opponents.
The top two teams in each of Groups E and F will advance to the semi-finals for 1st–4th place, while the remaining teams will play classification semi-finals for positions 5th–8th. Teams finishing 3rd and 4th in Group Stage I will move into Groups G and H, with crossover games determining the final rankings from 9th to 16th.
The confirmed participants for the 2026 tournament are: Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, Croatia, Portugal, Romania, Germany, Turkey, Serbia, Switzerland, Israel, and Slovakia.
In addition to the senior event, Portugal will play host to two major youth tournaments in 2026. The Women’s U20 European Championships will take place from July 25 to August 1, followed by the Men’s Junior Championships from August 24 to 30. Venues for these tournaments are yet to be confirmed.
The announcement reaffirms Portugal’s growing presence in the international water polo landscape, with the Madeira region preparing to welcome Europe’s elite early next year.
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