The draw for Division 1 and Division 2 of the 2025 World Cup has taken place, officially launching a new competition format introduced by World Aquatics.
Under the revised structure, Division 1 will now feature only eight teams. Qualification is reserved for the top seven nations in the World Aquatics Rankings as of September 30, 2025, alongside the winner of the 2025 Division 2.
All other national teams are eligible to compete in Division 2, which will include 24 teams in the men’s tournament and 16 teams in the women’s competition.
From Division 1, five teams in both the men’s and women’s tournaments will qualify for the World Cup Final in Sydney (July 22–26). They will be joined by the top two teams from Division 2, as well as Australia, which has already secured its place as host nation.
World Men’s Cup
Division 1
Alexandropouli, Greece | April 6–12
The eight qualified teams were split into two groups of four.
Group A: Serbia, Netherlands, Hungary, Greece
Group B: Italy, Spain, Croatia, USA
Spain, the reigning world champion and 2025 World Cup winner, headlines Group B. Meanwhile, Group A features a strong European core, including medalists from the European Championships.
Each team will play six matches across the tournament.
The competition begins with a three-day round-robin phase in Groups A and B. After that, two new groups will be formed:
- The top two teams from each group will advance to a new group competing for places 1–4.
- The remaining four teams will form a group competing for places 5–8.
Points from the initial group phase will not carry over. A full round-robin will be played again within the new groups.
Given that five teams qualify for Sydney, the top two teams from each initial group will automatically secure their places at the Final Eight after the first phase. The remaining four teams will battle for the final qualification spot.
Men’s Division 2
Malta | April 7–13
A total of 24 teams will compete:
Montenegro, Australia, Japan, France, Brazil, Romania, Canada, China, Germany, Argentina, Georgia, Singapore, Malta, South Africa, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Ukraine, Turkiye, Great Britain, Independent Athletes (Russia), Poland, Hong Kong, and Slovenia.
Division 2 will not be split into traditional groups. During the opening three days, each team will play three matches based on ranking and draw position. The tournament then moves directly into the knockout phase.
The top two teams at the end of the tournament will qualify for the World Cup Final in Sydney.
World Women’s Cup
The women’s tournament follows the same format as the men’s competition.
Division 1
Rotterdam, Netherlands | May 1–6
Group A: USA, Hungary, Japan, Spain
Group B: Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Australia
Five teams will progress to the Final in Sydney, alongside the two qualifiers from Division 2 and host nation Australia.
Women’s Division 2
Malta | April 21–26
Sixteen teams will compete:
China, Canada, Great Britain, Croatia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Singapore, Germany, Israel, Turkiye, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Slovakia, Independent Athletes (Russia), and Malta.
As with the men’s event, the top two teams from Division 2 will earn promotion to the Final Eight in Sydney.
Follow Waterpolo 360 on Facebook, Instagram and X