The Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) has announced the TeamNL women’s water polo squad for the 2026 Women’s European Water Polo Championships, which will take place in Funchal, Portugal, from January 26 to February 5.
The Netherlands, coached by Evangelos Doudesis, will enter the tournament as the reigning European champions, having won gold at the Eindhoven 2024 Championships. In the preliminary round, TeamNL have been drawn into Group D, where they will face Great Britain, Switzerland, and Israel.
Preparation schedule
As part of their build-up, the Dutch team will hold a training camp in the Netherlands from January 5–9, including joint sessions with the United States. Two friendly matches against Team USA are scheduled for January 8 in Ede and January 9 in Rotterdam, both of which are sold out and expected to provide a high-level test against world-class opposition.
From January 19 to 23, the squad will complete a second training camp with Italy in Ostia (Rome) before departing for Madeira.
TeamNL women’s water polo squad (15 players)
- Laura Aarts
- Christina Hicks
- Simone van de Kraats
- Maxine Schaap
- Maartje Keuning
- Fleurien Bosveld
- Bente Rogge
- Noa de Vries
- Kitty Lynn Joustra
- Lieke Rogge
- Lola Moolhuijzen
- Nina ten Broek
- Britt van den Dobbelsteen
- Pien Gorter
- Linde Haksteen
Notable absentees and captaincy
Several experienced players will miss the tournament. Vivian Sevenich and Marit van der Weijden are continuing their recovery following surgery, while Sabrina van der Sloot, a member of the national team for 16 years, will also be absent after recently announcing her pregnancy.
As a result, Maartje Keuning has been appointed team captain for the European Championships.
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
TeamNL group-stage schedule
- January 26, 18:45 – Netherlands vs Great Britain
- January 27, 09:00 – Netherlands vs Switzerland
- January 29, 10:30 – Netherlands vs Israel
Competition format
The women’s European Championship will be played under a two-stage group format. Four initial groups of four teams will be followed by a second group stage featuring the top two teams from each group. Results against teams that also progress will carry over.
The top two teams from the second-stage groups will advance to the semifinals, while the remaining teams will compete in classification matches. As a result, every group-stage match is critical to progression through the tournament.
European Championships 2026 Homepage
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