2026 World Aquatics Men's U18 Water Polo Championships
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| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | Portugal |
| City | Rio Maior |
| Dates | 27 June – 4 July 2026 |
| Teams | 20 (from 1 confederation) |
| Official website | |
| Rio Maior 2026 | |
The 2026 World Aquatics Men's U18 Water Polo Championships is the 7th edition of the biannual tournament for men's under-18 national water polo teams across the world, organised by World's governing aquatics body, World Aquatics. The tournament will place from 27 June to 4 July 2026.
Rio Maior in Portugal was given the hosting rights on 7 January 2026.[1] This will be the first time the country hosts the event.
Twenty teams will take part. Hungary are the defending champions after beating Serbia in the 2024 final in Buenos Aires.
Quotes
Rio Maior in Portugal was given the hosting rights on 7 January 2026.[2] This will be the first time the country hosts the event.
"We firmly believe that Portugal, and Rio Maior in particular, offer all the necessary conditions to deliver a competition of excellence, worthy of the prestige of this event. It is also a great honour to welcome the world’s best male water polo players in this age category – young talents who represent the future of the sport and who, in the near future, will shape the international water polo landscape. Hosting them means actively contributing to the history and development of the sport."
— Miguel Arrobas, president of the Portuguese Swimming Federation.
Format
The 20 teams were divided into two divisions. The top eight teams made Division 1 and the other twelve teams Division 2. Division 1 were split into two groups of four teams while Division 2 was split into four groups of three. The top two teams from each group of Division 1 advanced directly to the quarterfinals, while the other two teams from each group played against one of the group winners from each group in Division 2 in the crossover round. Starting with quarterfinals onward, the regular knock-out system was used.
