2026 Women's European Water Polo Championship Qualifiers
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The 2026 Women's European Water Polo Championship Qualifiers were organised by European Aquatics and held between 6 and 8 June 2025 in four different centralised locations.[1] The qualifiers determined the eight women's water polo national teams that would join the eight automatically qualified teams at the final tournament.
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualification method | Date of qualification | Appearance(s) | Previous best performance[a] | Rank[2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Last | Streak | |||||
 Greece |
Top eight in 2024 | 6 January 2024 | 19th | 1989 | 2024 | 19 | Runners-up (2010, 2012, 2018, 2022) | 2 |
 Italy |
19th | 19 | Champions (1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2012) | 5 | ||||
 Netherlands |
21st | 1985 | 21 | Champions (1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2018, 2024) | 3 | |||
 Spain |
17th | 1993 | 17 | Champions (2014, 2020, 2022) | 1 | |||
 Croatia |
8 January 2024 | 7th | 2010 | 6 | Eighth place (2022, 2024) | 6 | ||
 France |
17th | 1985 | 7 | Third place (1987, 1989) | 7 | |||
 Great Britain |
10th | 2 | Sixth place (1985) | 11 | ||||
 Hungary |
21st | 21 | Champions (1991, 2001, 2016) | 4 | ||||
 Portugal |
Top two in Group A | 7 June 2025 | 4th | 1995 | 2016 | 1 | Tenth place (2016) | 20 |
 Romania |
3rd | 2022 | 2024 | 3 | Eleventh place (2022) | 13 | ||
 Israel |
Top two in Group D | 5th | 2018 | 5 | Sixth place (2022) | 8 | ||
 Slovakia |
5th | 1993 | 4 | Eighth place (2020) | 12 | |||
 Germany |
Top two in Group B | 21st | 1985 | 6 | Third place (1985) | 10 | ||
 Turkey |
4th | 2016 | 2 | Twelfth place (2016, 2018) | 14 | |||
 Serbia |
Top two in Group C | 7th | 2006 | 6 | Eighth place (2006) | 9 | ||
 Switzerland |
8 June 2025 | 3rd | 1993 | 1995 | 1 | Tenth place (1993) | 18 | |
Format
The 13 teams were split into four groups of three and four. The tournament played at a single venue with the group winners and the second-ranked teams qualified for the final tournament.[1]
Draw
Referees
Thirteen referees were selected to officiate at the Qualifiers.[3]
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Summary
Groups
All times are local.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal (H) |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 19 | +12 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Romania |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Czechia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 0 |
Source: European Aquatics
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
| 6 June 2025 15:00 |
Report | Czechia |
12–18 | Portugal |
Manteigadas Municipal Swimming Pool, Setúbal Referees: Lazar Andjelić (SRB), Massimo Castrilli (SUI) |
| Score by quarters: 6–4, 2–6, 2–4, 2–4 | |||||
| Bušauerová 5 | Goals | Fernandes, Lousa 4 | |||
| 7 June 2025 15:00 |
Report | Czechia |
11–12 | Romania |
Manteigadas Municipal Swimming Pool, Setúbal Referees: Lazar Andjelić (SRB), Ayal Gabel (ISR) |
| Score by quarters: 2–4, 3–3, 3–2, 3–3 | |||||
| J. Holá 3 | Goals | Nagy, Szeghalmi 3 | |||
| 8 June 2025 10:00 |
Report | Romania |
7–13 | Portugal |
Manteigadas Municipal Swimming Pool, Setúbal Referees: Massimo Castrilli (SUI), Ayal Gabel (ISR) |
| Score by quarters: 1–3, 1–4, 0–2, 5–4 | |||||
| Szeghalmi 3 | Goals | Machado, Lousa 3 | |||
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany (H) |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 11 | +18 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Turkey |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 22 | +8 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Malta |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 35 | −26 | 0 |
Source: European Aquatics
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
| 6 June 2025 19:00 |
Report | Germany |
14–2 | Malta |
Volksbad Limmer, Hanover Referees: Alexandros Vlastos (SWE), Jakub Nečas (CZE) |
| Score by quarters: 3–0, 2–0, 5–1, 4–1 | |||||
| G. Deike 5 | Goals | Borg 2 | |||
| 7 June 2025 19:00 |
Report | Malta |
7–21 | Turkey |
Volksbad Limmer, Hanover Referees: Alexandru-Andrei Mustata (ROU), Jakub Nečas (CZE) |
| Score by quarters: 3–5, 2–9, 1–3, 1–4 | |||||
| Borg 2 | Goals | Buralı 4 | |||
| 8 June 2025 13:00 |
Report | Germany |
15–9 | Turkey |
Volksbad Limmer, Hanover Referees: Alexandros Vlastos (SWE), Alexandru-Andrei Mustata (ROU) |
| Score by quarters: 8–4, 2–1, 3–3, 2–1 | |||||
| G. Deike 5 | Goals | Dabbağ 3 | |||
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia (H) |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 16 | +56 | 9 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Switzerland |
3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 6 | |
| 3 |  Ukraine |
3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Finland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 71 | −48 | 0 |
Source: European Aquatics
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
| 6 June 2025 18:00 |
Report | Serbia |
18–2 | Ukraine |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: Martina Kuníková (SVK), Stefan Licari (MLT) |
| Score by quarters: 3–0, 4–0, 5–1, 6–1 | |||||
| Ilić, Milićević 4 | Goals | Lytvyniuk, Tymoshenko 1 | |||
| 6 June 2025 19:45 |
Report | Switzerland |
21–9 | Finland |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: İlkin Çakmakoğlu (TUR) |
| Score by quarters: 7–2, 6–1, 4–2, 4–4 | |||||
| Verhagen 6 | Goals | Alava, Kaipainen 3 | |||
| 7 June 2025 18:00 |
Report | Serbia |
24–7 | Switzerland |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: Martina Kuníková (SVK), Richard Noach (GER) |
| Score by quarters: 4–3, 7–2, 7–1, 6–1 | |||||
| Diaz Mesa, Milićević 5 | Goals | Verhagen 2 | |||
| 7 June 2025 19:45 |
Report | Ukraine |
20–7 | Finland |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: İlkin Çakmakoğlu (TUR), Stefan Licari (MLT) |
| Score by quarters: 3–2, 6–3, 6–1, 5–1 | |||||
| Belinska 5 | Goals | Suvanto 2 | |||
| 8 June 2025 11:00 |
Report | Ukraine |
7–10 | Switzerland |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: Martina Kuníková (SVK), İlkin Çakmakoğlu (TUR) |
| Score by quarters: 0–1, 2–4, 2–4, 3–1 | |||||
| Zelenko 3 | Goals | Kohli 4 | |||
| 8 June 2025 12:45 |
Report | Serbia |
30–7 | Finland |
Slana Bara, Novi Sad Referees: Richard Noach (GER), Stefan Licari (MLT) |
| Score by quarters: 5–1, 11–1, 8–3, 6–2 | |||||
| Milićević 6 | Goals | Kaipainen 3 | |||
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | PSW | PSL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Israel |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 19 | +24 | 6 | Final tournament |
| 2 | Slovakia (H) |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 28 | −1 | 3 | |
| 3 |  Sweden |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 38 | −23 | 0 |
Source: European Aquatics
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.
(H) Host
| 6 June 2025 18:00 |
Report | Israel |
22–8 | Sweden |
National Water Polo Centre, Nováky Referees: Anna Goncharenko (UKR), Jarkko Virtanen (FIN) |
| Score by quarters: 8–1, 5–3, 6–2, 3–2 | |||||
| Bogachenko 4 | Goals | Hassler, Hazell 2 | |||
| 7 June 2025 18:00 |
Report | Slovakia |
16–7 | Sweden |
National Water Polo Centre, Nováky Referees: Jarkko Virtanen (FIN), Luis Santos (POR) |
| Score by quarters: 3–2, 4–1, 4–2, 5–2 | |||||
| Kolářová 4 | Goals | Lindman Long 3 | |||
| 8 June 2025 11:00 |
Report | Slovakia |
11–21 | Israel |
National Water Polo Centre, Nováky Referees: Luis Santos (POR), Anna Goncharenko (UKR) |
| Score by quarters: 1–5, 2–4, 5–5, 3–7 | |||||
| Sedláková 3 | Goals | Markovsky, Rahoum 4 | |||
Notes
- Bold text indicates they hosted that edition.