Belgrade 2026: Day 1 match previews

Men’s European Water Polo Championships, Belgrade 2026

Match previews, Day 1 – Saturday 10 January (local times shown)

Group A

15.15 Hungary v France

• Besides topping the all-time medal chart with 13 titles and 26 medals in total (13-7-6), Hungary are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their first European title, clinched at the very first championship, held in Budapest in 1926. Back in the modern era, the Magyars have also had a great run since 1993, as they’ve only missed the semis once in 16 editions (in 2018) and claimed a medal 13 times (had two 4th place finishes in 2010 and in 2024).

• France posted their best result on their first appearance, a silver medal in 1927. Till 1958, they usually finished in the top 8, but they had to wait until 2022 for another place among the best, when they finished 6th in Split. Two years ago, they dropped down to 9th place.

• The two sides met twice during the recent prep season. In Paris, a month ago, the Hungarians saved the game to a tie with a buzzer-beater and won the shootout (12-12, 4-5), then beat the French 20-7 last week in Trebinje.

• Their last match at the Europeans dates back to 2014, when the Magyars won 12-7 in the group stage in Budapest.

• Their recent clashes at major tournaments brought the expected results in the opening round at the Paris Olympics (HUN 13-12) and last year in the World Cup Division I tournament (HUN 15-10). However, France produced the upset of the tournament at the World Championships in Doha 2024 when they beat the Hungarians 11-10 in the quarter-finals, overcoming a half-time four-goal deficit.

• Fun fact: The respective head coaches, Zsolt Varga of Hungary and Vjekoslav Kobescak of France have had a deep bond since they played together in Mladost Zagreb in the late 1990s and they usually shared hotel rooms on trips abroad.

Group A

18.00 Malta v Montenegro

• This will be Malta’s sixth appearance at the European Championships – they usually finished in 15th or 16th place, once coming 14th in 2022.

• Montenegro debuted as an independent nation in 2008 and they won the European title right away in Malaga. Upon their first five runs, they reached the semis four times and landed silver medals in 2012 and 2016 (the latter one here in the Belgrade Arena). In the following four editions, they had a bronze medal from 2020 but failed to make the top four on the other three occasions. In 2024, they finished 6th.

• Malta and Montenegro have met once at the Europeans, in 2018, when Montenegro won 17-5.

• Fun fact: Montenegro’s head coach Dejan Savic led Serbia to European triumph in 2016 here in the Belgrade Arena, defeating Montenegro in the final, in front of a record 18,473 spectators.

Group C

12.45 Israel v Spain

• This is Israel’s fourth appearance at the European Championships. Upon their debut, they finished 12th in Split, but dropped to the bottom, 16th, in Zagreb/Dubrovnik two years ago.

• After an extremely long wait, Spain could finally lift the European Championship trophy in 2024, for the first time in their history. Beforehand, though they took part from the second edition in 1927, they had three silver and four bronze medals, but the gold eluded them till 2024.

• Spain have made the podium in each major since 2018, 11 events in total (last five Worlds, last four Europeans, last two World Cups) – with the exception of the Olympics. There, they left the Games empty-handed in the last seven editions, ever since winning gold in 1996.

• In fact, Spain are the European title-holders, the reigning world champions and World Cup winners.

• This is going to be the first match between the two sides.

• Fun fact: Spain have one single regular-time loss at the last four editions of the European Championships. Hungary beat them in the semi-finals in Split 2022. In 2018 and 2020, they lost the respective finals in shootouts after tied matches (to Serbia, then to Hungary) and also had a penalty loss to Croatia in the group stage in Zagreb/Dubrovnik 2024, but they avenged that loss in the final.

Group C

20.30 Netherlands v Serbia

• Since the Netherlands landed a bronze medal in 1938, they barely missed finishing in the top 8 until 1993. Their best effort was a title-winning run in 1950 and finished outside the best 8 only once, in 1991. However, after 1995, they had a 9th place in 1997 and that is still their best effort upon their last 12 appearances, otherwise their placements were in the double digits. Over the last two editions, they ended up 11th both times.

• Hosts Serbia have five titles since gaining independence and have eight European golds in total since 2001. They had an outstanding run with nine consecutive podium finishes from 2001 till 2018, seven of them gold, including four straight titles between 2012 and 2018, the second-best effort ever of this kind (Hungary had five golds in a row between 1926 and 1938).

• However, the Serbs failed to make the semis across the last three editions, coming 5th, 9th and 7th. Serbia also finished with no medals at the last five World Champs and at the last two World Cups – but they won the Olympics in 2021 and in 2024 (completing a triple as they also triumphed in 2016).

• These two sides have met at three straight Europeans and the Serbs won each clash with ease, in 2018 (15-7) and in 2020 (11-4), but they could only force a shootout win in 2022, in the crossovers for the 9-12th places (6-6, 6-5).

• In the build-up process before this Championship, the Dutch managed to stage a huge upset when they beat Croatia 13-12 in Rotterdam – while the Serbs struggled to win matches. After a series of defeats (vs. Greece, Italy and Spain), they could finally beat France in Trebinje on the last day.

• Fun fact: When Serbia won gold in 2006 as hosts for the first time in Belgrade, it triggered a massive run by the host nations in the following championships. Eight times in the last 10 editions, the home team either won (5 times: Serbia in 2006 and 2016, Croatia in 2010 and 2022, Hungary in 2020), or reached the final (3 times: Hungary in 2014, Spain in 2018, Croatia in 2024). Before that, the hosts could claim gold only 3 times in the first 26 editions (Hungary in 1926 and 1958, West Germany in 1989) and silver once (Germany in 1934).

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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