The Royal Dutch Water Polo Association (KNZB) has officially announced the TeamNL men’s water polo squad for the 2026 European Championships, which will take place in Belgrade, Serbia, from January 10–25.
The Netherlands have been drawn into a demanding Group C, where they will face Serbia, Spain, and Israel.
A tough test in Mitrović’s first major tournament
The tournament in Belgrade marks the first major international championship for TeamNL under new head coach Branko Mitrović. The challenge could hardly be greater: Serbia arrive as Olympic champions from Paris 2024, while Spain lifted the world title in 2025.
The Netherlands do, however, have positive recent history against Israel, having claimed a convincing 17–7 victory at the 2022 European Championships.
“The European Championship is an important step for this team,” Mitrović said.
“We have a strong mix of young and experienced players. Our goal is to grow together, gain experience, and show what TeamNL water polo can do.”
TeamNL Men’s Water Polo Squad – European Championships 2026
Goalkeepers
- Miki Buitenhuis (UZSC)
- Jelto Spijker (Spandau, Germany)
Field Players
- Bilal Gbadamassi (CN Marseille, France)
- Jeroen Rouwenhorst (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Benjamin Hessels (OSC, Hungary)
- Mart van der Weijden (CN Barcelona, Spain)
- Tim de Mey (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Kas te Riele (Vouliagmeni, Greece)
- Sebastian Hessels (OSC, Hungary)
- Sam van den Burg (Waspo Hannover, Germany)
- Tom de Weerd (Tenerife Echeyde, Spain)
- Marnick Snel (Primorje, Croatia)
- Lars ten Broek (CN Terrassa, Spain)
- Niels Hofmeijer (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Jorrit van der Weijden (GZC Donk)
TeamNL staff
- Head coach: Branko Mitrović
- Assistant coaches: Blagoje Ivović, Sebastiaan Brands
- Team manager: Eric Spithoven
- Physiotherapist: Floris Hazenberg
European Championships 2026 – Group draw
Group A: Malta, France, Montenegro, Hungary
Group B: Slovenia, Greece, Croatia, Georgia
Group C: Netherlands, Israel, Serbia, Spain
Group D: Turkey, Romania, Italy, Slovakia
New tournament format explained
The 2026 European Championships will be played under a new competition format:
- The top three teams from each group advance to the second group phase
- Groups A & C and B & D merge
- Results from the first phase carry over
- Each team plays three additional matches
- The top two teams from each second-phase group qualify directly for the semifinals
- Remaining teams compete for places 5–12
With fewer matches to recover from early mistakes, every group-stage result carries significant weight.
European Championships 2026 Homepage
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