Greece have been crowned women’s U16 world champions after defeating defending champions Spain 11-7 in the final in Zagreb.
The new champions produced a commanding first-half performance, establishing an 8-3 advantage before controlling the remainder of the contest to complete an outstanding tournament.
Afroditi Bitsakou opened the scoring and helped Greece take a 4-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Eleni Elmisian, Ifigeneia Manousaki, Eirini Tsigka and Sofia Lampropoulou then contributed as Greece scored four times in the second period without reply.
Spain attempted to recover after the interval, but Greece remained composed. Georgia Lampatou converted a penalty before Lampropoulou and Tsigka struck to ensure the title would be heading to Greece.
Tsigka, Manousaki, Bitsakou and Lampropoulou each scored twice in the final, while Coaner Llorenc and Ivet Sulla led Spain with two goals each.
It completed a perfect campaign for Greece, who had already beaten Spain 8-5 earlier in the competition. Greece finished the tournament with a significantly stronger goal difference than any of their rivals and rarely looked troubled during the knockout stages.
Bitsakou was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after captaining Greece to the title. The 16-year-old finished with 16 goals and continued her development after scoring 19 times at the previous edition in 2024.
The victory also underlined the strength of Greek women’s water polo. Greece are now world champions at senior and U16 level, while their U18 and U20 teams have also recently reached the podium at major international competitions.
The Netherlands secured the bronze medal following a dramatic 15-14 penalty shootout victory over Hungary.
Hungary led by two goals on three occasions during the fourth quarter, but late strikes from Laura Renkers and Emma van Leusden levelled the match at 11-11.
The Netherlands then prevailed 4-3 in the shootout after two Hungarian penalties were saved. Renkers finished with three goals for the Dutch, while Mandula Mihok scored four for Hungary.
The United States completed the tournament in fifth place after beating Russia 11-7, with Kate Bambury scoring four goals. Australia edged New Zealand 8-7 to secure seventh, while Italy defeated Turkiye 8-7 in the ninth-place match.
China’s Zhu Yinqi finished as the tournament’s leading goalscorer with 33 goals. Spain’s Julia Teodoro was named the best goalkeeper.
Final standings
- Greece
- Spain
- Netherlands
- Hungary
- United States
- Russia
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Italy
- Turkiye
- China
- Serbia
- Canada
- Czechia
- Ukraine
- Israel
- Croatia
- Germany
- South Africa
- Peru
- Romania
- Brazil
- Zimbabwe
- Mexico
Medal results
Spain 7-11 Greece
Netherlands 15-14 Hungary — 11-11, Netherlands won 4-3 on penalties