Belgrade 2026: Serbia ready to host another landmark European Water Polo Championships
After 2006 and 2016, Belgrade once again hosts the European Water Polo Championships in a year ending in six, already something of a tradition. This time, the men’s event takes place in the Serbian capital with 16 teams – and the opening press conference already suggested that, with the new playing format, the tournament will bring more excitement than ever before.
With one day to go, coaches and players shared their expectations ahead of the Men’s European Water Polo Championships, alongside European Aquatics President Antonio Silva and Serbian Water Polo Federation President Viktor Jelenic.
President Silva thanked the local organisers for their commitment and hard work. “We are proud to bring this prestigious event back to Belgrade for the third time. Over the next two weeks, 16 of Europe’s finest teams will compete here on one of the most important stages our sport has to offer.
“This championship sits at the very heart of the water polo calendar, and this year it carries special meaning,” he added. “We are celebrating a historic milestone – the 100th anniversary of the European Water Polo Championships.
“One hundred years of tradition, rivalry, excellence and unforgettable moments, honoured in a city that truly lives and breathes water polo.”
Antonio Silva also thanked the players for creating a memorable showcase and expressed his appreciation to the media partners, “for bringing these stories, emotions and achievements to fans across Europe and beyond. My sincere thanks also go to the Government of Serbia, the City of Belgrade, the Serbian Water Polo Federation, our sponsors and everyone who helped make this championship possible.”
Replying to a question, President Silva said European Aquatics would consult all stakeholders within the water polo family to decide whether the European Championships should continue as a winter event or return to the summer calendar.
“We have organised this tournament as a stand-alone event for a long time, which is different from what World Aquatics does. However, with most of the top teams being European, this proved to be a good initiative. As a second step, we separated the men’s and women’s events two years ago, and that also seems to have been a good decision.”
“What is important for us is that the arena looks great, and we hope that the Serbian team will do their best,” Serbian Water Polo Federation President and LOC Chair Viktor Jelenic said. “We are playing at home, soon after clinching the Olympic gold medal, so it is a must to show our best. Of course, we know there are six or seven teams that also want to win, so let’s see what happens.”
Spain have arrived in Belgrade as the title holders and reigning world champions. “We are here to win again, but the level of the teams is really high,” said head coach David Martin. “And don’t forget, history says that Serbia always win as hosts.
“They have a very strong team, but we have the confidence to break the statistics, just as we did last time in Croatia.”
After long and extremely successful years, Spain will play without legendary captain Felipe Perrone, who called time on his career after the World Championships in Singapore, where he fittingly finished with a gold medal by scoring the final goal of the championship match against Hungary.
“Felipe is Felipe – it is impossible to find another player who can fill his place,” Martin said. “Still, we have great players like Granados, Munarriz and Sanahuja who can deliver, and we can also rely on our excellent teamwork.”
Vjekoslav Kobescak, who leads France for the first time at a major event as head coach, would like to see his side improve step by step. “Our path is extremely hard, especially for such a young and new team. I consider this championship an opportunity to improve and to reach the top eight again in Europe, which would be a great step towards achieving the same at world level later on.”
Montenegro head coach Dejan Savic admitted it felt strange to speak English in Belgrade at the press conference – and even stranger to return to the Belgrade Arena with Montenegro, 10 years after leading Serbia to victory at the 2016 European Championships.
“In 10 years, everything has changed, but one thing remains the same – the organisation of the championship is still at a very high level,” he said. “The competition has also changed with the new regulations. There are no quarter-finals, so it is much tougher as every goal and every point counts from the beginning.”
As for his team, Savic said Montenegro arrived in Belgrade with positive vibes. “We want to improve and reach the semi-finals.
“It won’t be easy because even though it may seem I have been coaching this team for a year, in reality we have only spent 75 days together to prepare and adjust our game. And the field has never been so competitive – at this moment, water polo is at its peak, with 16 teams showing great quality.”
Serbia head coach Uros Stevanovic also spoke about an exciting fortnight ahead featuring the best teams and players in the world. “Seven or eight teams have come here aiming for a medal, but even the road to the semi-finals is very long and very hard.”
Serbia enter the competition as reigning Olympic champions, and their fans expect a repeat of previous successes when the European Championships were staged in Belgrade.
“We must think game by game. Our first task is the Netherlands, who had better results during the preparations than we did,” Stevanovic noted. “Then comes Spain, the best team of the past six or seven years.
“The pressure is high, but that is a tradition in this country – to play under pressure at every major tournament.
“I believe the home crowd can give us the energy needed to reach the semi-finals, and then we can think further.”
Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram
Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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