Olympiacos continued their remarkable dominance of Greek water polo on Saturday, securing a record-extending 40th national championship with a 3-0 sweep of Panathinaikos in the Greek League playoff finals.
The Piraeus giants completed an unbeaten domestic season and successfully defended their crown, while Panathinaikos’ long-awaited return to the championship series ended without a victory. The Greens reached the Greek League final for only the second time in their history and their first since 2015.
Many expected a closely contested best-of-five series after Panathinaikos had pushed Olympiacos to the limit in the Greek Cup final earlier this season, where Olympiacos narrowly prevailed 13-12. However, the league finals proved far more one-sided.
Olympiacos opened the series with a 15-12 victory before underlining their superiority with a commanding 20-14 win in Game 2. They wrapped up the title in emphatic fashion on Saturday with a 17-12 victory in the third match.
The deciding encounter began perfectly for Panathinaikos, as Chalyvopoulos found the net just ten seconds after the opening sprint. But Olympiacos responded ruthlessly, producing a devastating 9-0 run to establish a commanding 9-1 lead midway through the second quarter.
Facing a huge deficit, Panathinaikos showed character and gradually fought their way back into the contest. The visitors cut the gap to four goals at 12-8 before the final period and reduced the deficit further to 12-9 early in the fourth quarter.
Any hopes of an unlikely comeback were quickly extinguished as Olympiacos regained control and pulled away once more, eventually closing out a comfortable 17-12 victory. Konstantinos Kakaris and Evangelos Pouros led the scoring with four goals apiece, while Argyropoulos, Zalanki and the rest of the star-studded Olympiacos squad ensured there would be no late drama.
The title adds another chapter to Olympiacos’ extraordinary domestic record. Since the start of the 21st century, they have failed to win the Greek championship only twice — in 2006, when Ethnikos lifted the trophy, and in 2012, when Vouliagmeni claimed the crown.
2026 Greek League Final – Game 3
Olympiacos 17-12 Panathinaikos
(4-1, 5-2, 3-5, 5-4)
Final series: Olympiacos win 3-0
Olympiacos: Kakaris 4, Pouros 4, Angyal 3, Zalanki 2, Genidounias 1, Gouvis 1, Dimou 1, Papanastasiou 1.
Panathinaikos: Kopelaidis 3, Skoumpakis 2, Gkiouvetsis 2, Hadzigoulas 2, Chalyvopoulos 1, Papanikolaou 1, Banicevic 1.
Third-place playoff controversy continues
The battle for third place between Vouliagmeni and Apollon Smyrnis remains unresolved following an unusual officiating controversy.
Apollon initially won the opening match 14-13, but Vouliagmeni successfully appealed after it was discovered that an excluded Apollon player returned to the pool before the expiration of the exclusion period. The incident occurred with 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter while Apollon led 6-4.
As a result, the Greek Swimming Federation ordered a partial replay of the match. The contest will resume from the point of the incident on Sunday, with Vouliagmeni holding a man-up advantage. The second game of the series has subsequently been rescheduled for June 2, while a deciding third game, if required, would take place two days later.
Panionios secure fifth place
Panionios finished fifth in the championship after defeating Ydraikos 16-12.
Panionios 16-12 Ydraikos
(2-0, 4-3, 5-4, 5-5)
European qualification spots confirmed
Champions League: Olympiacos
Champions League Qualification Round: Panathinaikos
Euro Cup Group Stage: Apollon Smyrnis or Vouliagmeni
Euro Cup Qualification Round: Apollon Smyrnis or Vouliagmeni
Conference Cup: Panionios, Ydraikos
All-time Greek champions
- Olympiacos – 40
- Ethnikos – 38
- Patras – 8
- Aris Thessaloniki – 4
- ANO Glyfada – 4
- Vouliagmeni – 4
- Peiraikos – 1
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