2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship final
The Belgrade Arena hosted the final. | |||||||
| Event | 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 25 January 2026 | ||||||
| Venue | Belgrade Arena, Belgrade | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Dušan Mandić | ||||||
| Referee | Frank Ohme (GER) Julien Bourges (FRA) | ||||||
The 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship final was the final match of the 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship, the 37th edition of the biannual continental tournament in men's national water polo teams, organised by Europe's governing aquatics body, European Aquatics. The match was played at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, on 25 January 2026, and was contested by hosts Serbia and Hungary.[1][2]
The tournament comprised hosts Serbia and 15 other teams. The 16 teams competed in a group stage, from which 12 teams qualified for the main round and 4 later advanced to the semifinals.
For Serbia, it is their seventh final (as Serbia) and it is the 21st final for the Hungarians. This is the third time they have met each other in a European Championship final after 2006 and 2014, with the Serbians winning both times. Both sides had already met each other earlier in the tournament, with the Serbs winning 15–14. Their last appearances for Serbia and Hungary in the final were in 2016 and 2022 respectively.
Serbia won their ninth title after beating the Hungarians 10–7 in the final.[3]
Background
The 2026 Men's European Water Polo Championship is the 37th edition of the biannual continental tournament in men's national water polo teams, organised by Europe's governing aquatics body, European Aquatics. The tournament takes place from 10 to 25 January 2026. This edition marks the 100 year anniversary of the championships. This edition is the first one ever to have a 25 meter swimming pool, down from 30 meters.[4]
The competition was held in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, for the third time.[5] This was the second edition to have different hosts for both genders after European Aquatics made the change permanent in March 2025. This edition will also witness a new format, introducing a second group stage.[6]
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first.
| Serbia | Round | Hungary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opponent | Result | Preliminary round | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Netherlands | 18–16 PSO | Match 1 | France | 15–7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spain | 12–11 | Match 2 | Montenegro | 13–10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Israel | 19–9 | Match 3 | Malta | 21–6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group C placement
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Final standings | Group A placement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opponent | Result | Main round | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| France | 14–10 | Match 4 | Netherlands | 16–11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hungary | 15–14 | Match 5 | Serbia | 14–15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montenegro | 13–15 | Match 6 | Spain | 15–14 PSO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Group E placement
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Final standings | Group E placement
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| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Italy | 17–13 | Semifinals | Greece | 15–12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Venue
The Belgrade Arena hosted the final. This will be the second time they host the final after 2016.
| Belgrade | ||
|---|---|---|
| Belgrade Arena | ||
| Capacity: 18,386 | ||
Match
| 25 January 2026 20:30 |
Report | Serbia | 10–7 | Hungary | Belgrade Arena, Belgrade Referees: Frank Ohme (GER), Julien Bourges (FRA) |
| Score by quarters: 3–2, 2–3, 2–1, 3–1 | |||||
| Mandić 4 | Goals | Vendel Vígvári 3 | |||
Sources:[7]
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Assistant referees:
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Match rules
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Squads
| Serbia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Date of birth | Pos. | Club |
| Radoslav Filipović | 19 August 1997 (aged 28) | GK | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Dušan Mandić | 16 June 1994 (aged 31) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Strahinja Rašović | 9 March 1992 (aged 33) | W | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Sava Ranđelović | 17 July 1993 (aged 32) | DF | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Miloš Ćuk | 21 December 1990 (aged 35) | W | VK Novi Beograd |
| Đorđe Lazić | 19 May 1996 (aged 29) | CF | Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi |
| Radomir Drašović | 22 July 1997 (aged 28) | W | CN Marseille |
| Nikola Jakšić (C) | 17 January 1997 (aged 28) | W | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Nemanja Vico | 19 November 1994 (aged 31) | CF | VK Primorac Kotor |
| Nikola Dedović | 25 January 1992 (aged 33) | W | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Petar Jakšić | 20 July 2001 (aged 24) | DF | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Viktor Rašović | 13 August 1993 (aged 32) | DF | Radnički Kragujevac |
| Milan Glusac | 30 September 2002 (aged 23) | GK | VK Novi Beograd |
| Vasilije Martinović | 13 January 1993 (aged 32) | W | VK Novi Beograd |
| Nikola Lukić | 14 April 1998 (aged 27) | W | VK Novi Beograd |
| Hungary | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Date of birth | Pos. | Club |
| Csoma Kristóf | 26 January 1992 (aged 33) | GK | Budapesti Honvéd SE |
| Dániel Angyal | 29 March 1992 (aged 33) | DF | Olympiacos Piraeus |
| Krisztián Manhercz (C) | 6 February 1997 (aged 28) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Nagy Ákos | 15 April 2004 (aged 21) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Vince Vigvári | 23 June 2003 (aged 22) | W | CN Barcelona |
| Ádám Nagy | 19 May 1998 (aged 27) | DF | CN Marseille |
| Gergő Fekete | 24 June 2000 (aged 25) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Tátrai Dávid | 15 August 2003 (aged 22) | W | BVSC Manna ABC |
| Péter Kovács | 16 May 1991 (aged 34) | CF | BVSC Manna ABC |
| Vigvári Vendel | 10 September 2001 (aged 24) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Szilárd Jansik | 6 April 1994 (aged 31) | W | FTC-Telekom |
| Benedek Batizi | 21 August 2001 (aged 24) | CF | BVSC Manna ABC |
| Soma Vogel | 7 July 1997 (aged 28) | GK | FTC-Telekom |
| Vismeg Zsombor | 14 March 2003 (aged 22) | DF | FTC-Telekom |
| Vince Varga | 16 August 2005 (aged 20) | W | FTC-Telekom |
References
- ^ "Србија ће после осам година поново играти за европско злато, Италија елиминисана у полуфиналу". РТС.
- ^ Márk, Benics (January 23, 2026). "Nagy játékkal Eb-döntős a férfi vízilabda-válogatott". 444.
- ^ "Belgrade 2026: Serbia crowned European champions after defensive masterclass against Hungary | European Aquatics®". January 25, 2026.
- ^ Rolle, Andy (27 December 2025). "Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships facts and figures".
- ^ "Tel Aviv, Belgrade To Host Next Two European Water Polo Championships". swimswam.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Two host cities and new format for 2026 European Water Polo Championships – European Aquatics®". 31 March 2025.
- ^ "SCHEDULE & RESULTS".