European Water Polo Championships 2026 Draw Ceremony to be Held at Belgrade’s White Palace

The Draw Ceremony for the European Water Polo Championships 2026 (EWPC 2026) will take place on 13 September 2025 at the prestigious White Palace (Beli Dvor) in Belgrade, Serbia.

A landmark of Serbian cultural heritage, the White Palace was built for the Karađorđević royal family between 1934 and 1937 and today stands as one of Belgrade’s most elegant venues. Its classical architecture, grand salons, and remarkable art collection will provide a fitting setting for the official start of Europe’s premier water polo event.

The draw will determine the groups for the 16 qualified national teams. According to European Aquatics regulations, the top four nations from the previous championships, Spain, Croatia, Italy and Hungary (Batch 1) will lead the seeding, followed by the teams ranked fifth to eighth, Greece, Montenegro, Serbia and Romania (Batch 2). They will be joined by the first-ranked qualifiers, France, Georgia, the Netherlands and Slovakia (Batch 3) and the second-ranked qualifiers, Türkiye, Slovenia, Malta and Israel (Batch 4).

Participants will be hosted at the Crowne Plaza Belgrade, located just minutes from the city centre and 15 kilometres from Nikola Tesla International Airport. Transfers will be provided from the airport to the hotel, from the hotel to the White Palace, and for return journeys.

The official programme on 13 September 2025 will begin with a tour of the White Palace complex at 17:30, followed by official arrivals at 18:30. The Draw Ceremony will commence at 19:00, concluding with a special reception from 19:30.

National federations are requested to confirm hotel bookings and travel details by 1 September 2025, submitting the relevant forms to accommodation@belgrade2026.rs

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