The Italian women’s national water polo team (Setterosa) are continuing their final preparations for the nineteenth edition of the Women’s European Water Polo Championships, which will be held from January 26 to February 5 at the Funchal Olympic Complex.
The Azzurre are currently training at the Frecciarossa Water Polo Federal Center, where they are completing the final phase of their build-up. The last training sessions will take place alongside Netherlands, the reigning European champions from the 2024 Championships in Eindhoven.
As part of this final block, Italy will play two friendly matches against the Dutch side on January 21 (19:00) and January 22 (20:00), providing an important benchmark ahead of departure for Portugal.
Earlier in January, a patched-up Italian squad faced Greece, the reigning world champions, in a friendly match on January 10, narrowly losing by a single goal. That encounter highlighted some physical issues within the squad, which the coaching staff have since focused on addressing.
Following the final tests in Ostia, the Azzurre will fly to Madeira on January 23.
Tournament outlook
Italy have been drawn in Group C, alongside Serbia, Croatia, and Turkey. The Azzurre will open their European Championship campaign on January 26, with the first group-stage match scheduled for 13:45 local time (14:45 Italian time).
The women’s tournament follows a similar format to the men’s competition, with a key difference: only the top two teams from each preliminary group advance to the second group stage. In that phase, the qualifiers are divided into two groups of four (Groups E and F), carrying forward results against teams that also progress. The top two teams from each second-stage group advance to the semifinals, while third- and fourth-placed teams contest the classification matches for fifth place.
Group stage draw – Women’s Euro 2026
Group A
Greece, France, Slovakia, Germany
Group B
Hungary, Romania, Spain, Portugal
Group C
Italy, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey
Group D
Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Israel
Italy squad (15 players)
- Emma Bacelle (Plebiscito Padova)
- Sofia Giustini (Rapallo Pallanuoto)
- Helga Maria Santapaola (Rapallo Pallanuoto)
- Roberta Bianconi (Fiamme Oro / Rapallo Pallanuoto)
- Agnese Cocchiere (SIS Roma)
- Chiara Ranalli (SIS Roma)
- Lavinia Papi (SIS Roma)
- Dafne Bettini (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Aurora Condorelli (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Chiara Tabani (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Carlotta Meggiato (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Morena Leone (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Claudia Marletta (L’Ekipe Orizzonte)
- Lucrezia Cergol (Pallanuoto Trieste)
- Veronica Gant (Pallanuoto Trieste)
The squad sees the return of experienced players Chiara Tabani and Claudia Marletta, both absent from last summer’s World Championships in Singapore, adding further options in attack and strengthening the defensive structure.
European Championships 2026 Homepage
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