Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 12 match previews
Men’s European Water Polo Championships, Belgrade 2026
Match previews, Day 12 – Wednesday 21 January
(local times shown)
Group Stage II
Group F
15:30 Türkiye v Georgia
• Both of these sides are searching for their first victory in Group Stage II. The winners will play for the 9th place against France, while the losing side will contest the 11th/12th-place final with the Netherlands.
• At the Europeans, they met in the Belgrade Arena for the first time, 10 years ago – Georgia won 12-11. The next two encounters in the following two editions also went to Georgia, 15-10 in 2018 and 12-6 in 2020, which was their last encounter to date.
• Fun fact: When Georgia qualified for the first time for the European Championship in 2014, it came at the expense of the Turks. Back then, a home-and-away duel decided the outcome. Georgia won the first leg at home 8-4, but the decider turned into a thriller where the Turks almost erased their deficit, but in the end, the Georgians managed to keep a single goal aggregate advantage, after losing the second leg 12-9.
Group Stage II
Group F
18:00 Italy v Croatia
• Just like yesterday, this is going to be a quarter-final-like clash – the winners will advance to the semi-finals (where Serbia awaits), while the losers will have to settle for the 5th/6th-place classification game.
• It’s another eternal classic – in fact, these two sides have played 104 matches so far in total. Since Croatia entered the scene as an independent nation, Italy are the only rivals with whom they have already surpassed the 100-game barrier. The Croats lead 54-40, with 10 draws. Their most recent clash at a major tournament was at the Paris Olympics, where Italy won 14-11 in the group stage.
• At the Europeans, they have met 12 times, Croatia are 7-4 up with one draw – and both sides may score the 100th goal against each other, as the goal difference stands 93-88.
Here is the breakdown:
1993: 13-7, 1995: 8-8, 1999: 6-7, 2003: 3-6, 2006: 9-8, 2008: 7-8 (quarter-final), 2010: 6-8, 3-7 (final), 2014: 8-7 (quarter-final), 2016: 8-6 (5-8th), 2018: 8-10 (bronze), 2022: 10-11 (semi-final)
• Fun fact: Their most highlighted clashes include finals at all the three big tournaments – at the Europeans in Zagreb 2010 (7-3), at the Olympics in London 2012 (8-6) and at the Worlds in Doha 2024 (11-11, 4-2). Interestingly, Croatia won each gold medal bout.
Group Stage II
Group F
20:30 Romania v Greece
• Both sides are locked to their current position – Greece will finish first in this group whatever the results are on Wednesday, and will face Hungary in the semis, while Romania will be fourth (to meet France for the 7th place).
• Back in 2012, the Romanians managed to beat the Greeks twice (at the Olympic Qualification Tournament in a group match and in a World League qualifier), but the last 10 matches they have had at official tournaments all went to the Greeks. Their last clash was at the Paris Olympics, where Greece won 14-7 in the group stage.
• At the Europeans, they had a close contest in 2014 (GRE, 10-9), but the last two were lopsided matches – here in 2016, 15-9, and in 2020, 14-7, both times in the eight-finals.
• Fun fact: After Serbia’s fall last night to Montenegro, Greece are the only unbeaten side left at this tournament, with five wins from five games so far.
Watch all the action live from Belgrade on Eurovision Sport
For the full schedule/results/tables from the European Championships, click here
For tickets to all the games at the men’s European Water Polo Championships in Belgrade, click here
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
The post Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 12 match previews first appeared on European Aquatics®.