Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 6 match previews

Men’s European Water Polo Championships, Belgrade 2026

Match previews, Day 6 – Thursday 15 January
(local times shown)

Group D

12:45 Türkiye v Slovakia

• This match decides the third qualifying spot in this group. Both sides have had back-to-back losses – though each had some fine moments two days ago – the Turks against Romania and the Slovaks against Italy.

• Slovakia leads 4-0 in their recent head-to-heads. While the first two matches were lopsided contests (11-5, 11-6) in 2018 and 2023, the World Cup qualifier in 2024 saw a huge battle (19-17) and the Slovaks just edged out the Turks 13-12 last June in Istanbul in the qualification tournament for this championship.

• Fun fact: Slovakia’s head coach Roman Polacik is considered arguably the greatest player of all time in the history of the nation’s water polo. He is famous for winning 13 national titles in eight different countries (Yugoslavia, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Croatia, Iran, Malta and Austria) – something barely anyone else has ever achieved. Polacik also lifted the Champions League trophy with POSK Split in 1999 as an absolute highlight of his fabulous career.

Group D

15:15 Romania v Italy

• The top spot and three more points for the next phase are at stake in this game, though no one doubts that Italy is the overwhelming favourite.

• Since Sandro Campagna was appointed Italy’s head coach for a second time in 2009, Italy have beaten the Romanians in all 12 matches they’ve contested. Eleven were lopsided encounters, with the only exception their quarter-final match in 2016 at the Olympic qualification tournament, where the Settebello had to overcome some scares before securing their Rio ticket with an 8-7 victory.

• Their last clash at the Europeans also happened in the Belgrade Arena in 2016, when Italy won 11-5. Their most recent match was in Singapore, and Italy routed the Romanians 17-5.

• Fun fact: Romania’s head coach Bogdan Rath achieved his greatest successes with Italy. He played for Romania at the 1996 Olympics, but after enjoying several successful years with Italian clubs, the following season he gained citizenship and joined the Italian team. It was Italy’s current head coach Alessandro Campagna who first selected him, and Rath made an impact right away as a key member of Campagna’s European Championship silver medallist side in Budapest 2001. Two years later, he also earned a world silver and played for Italy at the Athens 2004 Olympics.

Group B

18:00 Slovenia v Georgia

• Just like in the other group, the third qualifying spot will be decided in the clash of the two winless sides. Georgia are definitely the favourites.

• This is going to be the two teams’ first match.

• Fun fact: There are a handful of Olympic champions at these Europeans who now serve as head coach. Slovenia’s boss Mirko Vicevic is one of them – the Montenegrin won gold with Yugoslavia in 1988. Besides him, Italy’s Sandro Campagna (Barcelona 1992) and Hungary’s Zsolt Varga (Sydney 2000) have stood on the top of the Olympic podium, while Montenegro’s Dejan Savic claimed medals at three Games (bronze in 2000 and 2008, silver in 2004).

Group B

20:30 Greece v Croatia

• With only one big match in sight in the next group stage, vs Italy, and two – on paper – easier rivals, the winners of this game would take a big step closer to the semi-finals.

• These two giants have an extremely rich history. In the past 15 years they have met 27 times and Croatia have a surprisingly huge lead of 20-5, with two matches ending in a tie.

• Croatia won their last five encounters, including a nail-biter in Singapore, at the 2025 Worlds where they clashed for the last time and it finished 10-9.

• Greece’s last win against Croatia dates back to 2022, though that was painful for the Croats in Budapest – the Greeks beat them 9-7 for the third place at the World Championships, ending Croatia’s record streak of nine consecutive podium finishes at the Worlds.

• Greece have never beaten Croatia at the European Championships – they have played 13 times, with Croatia winning nine of them, while four have ended in a draw.

• Also at the Europeans, they met two years ago in the quarter-finals and Croatia won with ease, 13-8. In 2022, a hotly contested group match finished 5-5.

• In this match, two of the longest serving head coaches will face off for another grand occasion. Ivica Tucak has been leading the Croatian side since 2013, while Theodoros Vlachos has been in charge of Greece since 2014. In the current field, only Italy’s Alessandro Campagna started his tenure earlier than them.

• Fun fact: Key players of both national teams spent several seasons in the other country’s respective top club. Olympiacos have had a strong legion of Croatian players for several years – from the current roster, Marko Bijac and Luka Loncar spent a couple of seasons in Piraeus and the Greek champions are now coached by a Croat, Elvis Fatovic (whose son Loren is also with the national team now). As for the Greeks, Konstantin Kakaris and Alexandros Papanastasiou played in Dubrovnik when Jug were the No. 1 side in Croatia.

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

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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics

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