Women’s 4x4 tournament begins in Dubrovnik with star names on show

The women’s competition at the World Aquatics Water Polo 4×4 Open Championships begins in Dubrovnik on Monday, with eight teams taking part in the seven-day event at the Old Town Harbour.

The tournament brings the 4×4 format onto the international stage, with World Aquatics looking to use the shorter, faster version of the game to reach new audiences and potentially introduce water polo to countries where the sport has a smaller presence.

Eight-player squads are used, with four players in the water at any time — three field players and a goalkeeper. Games are played in a 15m by 12m field of play, with flying substitutions and immediate goalkeeper restarts after goals helping to keep the action moving quickly.

Matches are played across sets rather than traditional quarters. The first team to win three sets wins the match, while a 2-2 tie after four sets is decided by a shootout.

The eight women’s teams have initially been divided into two seeding pots. USA, Spain, Greece and Australia make up Pot A, with NAB, Croatia, South Africa and Turkiye in Pot B. The preliminary matches will determine the rankings before the competition moves into its knockout and classification stages.

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Unlike the men’s tournament, several of the women’s squads feature established senior internationals.

USA arrive with a particularly experienced group including Rachel Fattal, Jenna Flynn, Jordan Raney, Ryann Neushul and Jewel Roemer.

Spain also have plenty of senior quality, with Mariona Terre, Ariadna Ruiz, Carlota Penalver, Isabel Piralkova and Paula Camus among their squad. Australia include Olivia Mitchell, Pippa Pedley and Saskia Dunn, while Greece feature Anastasia Bikou and Eirini Stavridou.

The women’s tournament opens with South Africa against NAB before one of the standout games of the first day sees Spain face USA.