Pro Recco will continue its push to take elite European water polo to new audiences next month, with the Italian champions confirming a pre-season World Tour through Shanghai and Tokyo from September 8–18.
Sandro Sukno’s side will travel to China and Japan for a programme combining exhibition matches, joint training sessions and clinics, building on the success of the club’s tour of the United States last summer.
The first stage will take place in Shanghai from September 8–13, supported by the Shanghai Water Polo Association and Shanghai Sea Dragons International Water Polo Club.
On September 11, Recco will train alongside players from Shanghai at the Oriental Land Sport Complex in Qingpu, before holding a clinic for Masters players and coaches later that day.
The centrepiece of the Chinese leg comes on September 12 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. Recco will first deliver a 90-minute clinic for boys and girls aged nine to 15 before facing the Shanghai All Star Team in an exhibition match. Young players will also be involved in the event, including the opportunity to take penalties against Recco’s goalkeepers.
Recco will then fly to Japan on September 13 and, just hours after arriving, face the Japanese national team in a friendly at the Chiba International General Swimming Center.
The following morning, Recco will hold a joint training session with Keio University at its Hiyoshi Campus in Yokohama. The team will remain in Japan until September 16 before returning to China for the final two days of the tour and arriving back in Liguria on September 18. Their competitive season begins away against Roma Vis Nova on October 3.
The trip follows Pro Recco’s high-profile American tour in 2025, when the Italian giants travelled through New York and Princeton alongside FTC-Telekom, bringing two of Europe’s biggest clubs into direct contact with the American collegiate game.
That tour included Recco facing UCLA and Princeton, while FTC played Princeton and Fordham, alongside clinics and promotional events. Recco defeated UCLA 16-11 in New York, while FTC opened its programme with a 23-11 victory over Princeton.
The two European giants also met twice. FTC edged an intense first encounter at New York’s Asphalt Green following a penalty shootout, before Recco responded in Princeton with a 16-15 victory to leave the two clubs with one win apiece from their American meetings.
This year’s move into Asia therefore represents the next stage of the same strategy: using Recco’s profile and players not only for pre-season preparation, but to place top-level European water polo in markets rarely able to experience it first-hand.
Club president Maurizio Felugo described the invitations to Shanghai and Tokyo as another important step in Pro Recco’s international growth, with the club aiming to use its experience and profile to contribute to the wider development of water polo.
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