Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships final preview
Men’s European Water Polo Championships, Belgrade 2026
Match previews, Day 16 – Sunday 25 January
(local times shown)
Final
20:30 Serbia v Hungary
• The 2026 final is a clash between the two most successful nations in the championships’ history. Hungary top the medal rankings with 13 titles and with 26 medals (7 silver, 6 bronze), while the Serbs sit in second place with 8 titles and 22 medals (8-9-5 together with the Yugoslav era – since their return in 1997, they are 7-2-1).
• Since the introduction of the knockout phase in 1989, Serbia have played in 9 finals, won 7 (2001, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018) and lost 2 (1997, 2008). Hungary have reached the finals 8 times before, won 3 (1997, 1999, 2020) and lost 5 (1993, 1995, 2006, 2014, 2022).
• The two sides have met for the European title 3 times, Hungary won in 1997, Serbia in 2006 and 2014.
• Serbia reached the final for the third time at the Belgrade editions, they won the previous two (vs Hungary in 2006 and vs Montenegro in 2016).
• At the Europeans, the two sides have played 26 matches (including the Yugoslav era, since 1934), Hungary are leading 13-10, with two draws. In the previous century, they were 9-2 up, but the new millennium belongs to the Serbs who are leading 4-8 in the head-to-heads. After the last two matches before this edition went to Hungary – 2022 saw the historical smash (16-7, Serbia’s worst-ever defeat at any majors), then in 2024, a shootout victory by the young Magyars (10-10, 5-4) – Serbia also beat them 15-14 here in Group Stage II.
Here is the breakdown:
1934: 3-1, 1947: 3-3, 1954: 3-3, 1958: 5-3, 1962: 3-2, 1966: 2-3, 1970: 7-4, 1974: 7-7, 1977: 4-3, 1981: 7-6, 1983: 8-7, 1985: 7-4, 1987: 7-9, 1997: 3-2 (final), 2001: 5-8, 2003: 6-7, 2006: 8-9 (final), 2008: 7-8 (semi-final), 2010: 9-6, 8-10 (bronze), 2014: 8-7, 7-12 (final), 2018: 5-8 (quarter-final), 2022: 16-7, 2024: 10-10 (5-4 – quarter-final)
• Before their match here in Belgrade, Hungary won the last three – at the Olympics (a low-stakes group stage game, 17-13), a prep match in Budapest last summer (13-12) and their thriller at the 2025 World Championship semi-final in Singapore (19-18). The Serbs’ previous win came at the Doha Worlds, in the 5-8th crossovers (11-10).
• Besides their great finals at the Europeans, these two sides have clashed in other gold medal bouts too at the majors. Hungary won their Olympic final in Athens 2004 (8-7), the Serbs won the World Championships final the following year in Montreal (8-7), and they also met in a World Cup final (2006, SRB 10-9) and for the World League title in 2004 (HUN 12-8), 2005 (SRB-MNE 16-6), 2007 (SRB 9-6), 2013 (SRB 12-7), 2014 (SRB 10-6).
• Fun fact I: Since the Serbs’ first triumph here in Belgrade in 2006, the home teams have enjoyed a great run at the Europeans. Including this event, they reached the final in 9 out of 11 editions and won 5 times (so far): Serbia in 2006 and 2016, Croatia in 2010 and 2022 and Hungary in 2020. The hosts finished runners-up three times: Hungary in 2014, Spain in 2018 and Croatia in 2024. This is a big jump compared to the editions before 2006, when the hosts could win only 3 times out of 26 (Hungary in 1926 and 1958, West Germany in 1989).
• Fun fact II: There are three nations which were extremely successful on home soil in succession, but after clinching the title on the first two occasions, they failed to make it to the top of the podium in the third home edition. Hungary won in 1926 and 1958, but finished third in 2001 (then were runners-up in 2014 before lifting the trophy in 2020). Croatia won in 2010 and 2022, but had to settle for the silver in 2024. Now comes Serbia’s third turn…
• Fun fact III: While playing on home soil, the Serbs have never lost in a big final – besides the Europeans in 2006 and 2016, they won the World League finals in 2005 and 2019. When they hosted the World Cup in 2002, they didn’t reach the final (came third). In the Yugoslav era, they could never finish top in the round robin format tournaments (1973 Worlds in Belgrade – bronze, 1979 World Cup in Belgrade/Rijeka – bronze, 1981 Europeans in Split – 4th).
• Fun fact IV: Hungary faced off with the home nation in a European final twice, but lost both, to Serbia in 2006 and to Croatia in 2022.
• Fun fact V: Here is the two teams’ win-loss ratio when playing in the finals of the other two big majors – Olympics: Serbia 3-1 (with YUG: 4-1), Hungary 3-0. World Championships: Serbia 3-2 (with YUG: 5-2), Hungary 3-5.
Bronze medal match
17:00: Italy v Greece
• Since 1989, when the two losing semi-finalists played for the bronze for the first time at the Europeans, Italy have been part of this match 8 times, winning 4 (1989, 1999, 2014, 2024), losing 4 (1991, 2012, 2018, 2022).
• Greece have played for the bronze twice, losing both, to Italy in 1999 and to Hungary here in Belgrade in 2016.
• While Italy have amassed 12 medals so far at the Europeans (3-2-7), the Greeks are still chasing their first-ever medal in the continental championships.
• When they met in the Group Stage II and Greece won 15-13, that marked their first-ever win over Italy in the history of the European Championships. Italy led 13-0, with one draw, up until the current edition.
Here is the breakdown:
1985: 14-9, 1989: 12-7, 1995: 9-7, 1997: 7-2, 1999: 7-6, 7-6 (bronze), 2001: 7-6 (quarter-final), 2003: 7-5, 2006: 14-11, 11-10 (5th place), 2012: 10-7, 2014: 9-9, 2020: 10-6, 2024: 15-8.
• When Greece upended the Italians 17-11 in their last match at the World Championships in Singapore, that also ended the Greeks’ quarter-final curse against the Italians (Greece built a huge lead after the 4-min ejection of Italy’s Matteo Iocchi Gratta). Before that, Italy won three high-stake quarter-final matches on the big stage, at the 2016 Olympics (9-5), then at the 2019 Worlds (7-6) and in 2024 (11-10). Greece’s only big-time win was in 2015 when they beat Italy for the bronze medal in a shootout (7-7, 4-2).
• Fun fact: Playing for the bronze medal at the other two big majors shows different luck for these two sides. At the Olympics, Italy are 2-0, Greece are 0-1. At the World Championships, Italy are 0-3, Greece are 4-2.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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