Funchal 2026: Highlights from the women’s European Water Polo Championships

After a hugely successful and entertaining 2026 Women’s European Water Polo Championships, here are the most memorable moments from Funchal, Portugal.

• The Netherlands retained their title in impressive fashion, going the entire tournament without losing a single game in regular time – a record they shared with Greece. Greece fell to Hungary on penalties in the semi-finals, but bounced back to claim bronze with an emphatic victory over Italy.

• Netherlands’ route to the final was anything but easy, as they faced Hungary twice, as well as Spain and Italy. The first clash with Hungary in Group Stage II was a defensive battle, but the Dutch held firm and were never behind. The Magyars fought back to level at 4-4 midway through the fourth quarter, before Lola Moolhujzen’s extra-player shot sealed the win for the defending champions.

• Against Spain, the Dutch only needed to avoid defeat by two clear goals to secure a semi-final place, but they looked uncertain in the opening quarter. After taking the lead, they quickly fell 5-1 behind as the tournament’s top scorer – Bea Ortiz – inspired a remarkable Spanish surge. A time-out from Netherlands coach Eva Doudesis restored their focus and, within seven minutes, they were level at 5-5. Both sides traded narrow one-goal leads, and midway through the fourth, Spain moved 12-10 ahead, leaving the Netherlands facing elimination once again. But late goals from Kitty Lynn Joustra, Simone Van de Kraats and Lieke Rogge edged them back in front. Although another Ortiz strike forced a shootout, which the Dutch lost, it mattered little as they were already guaranteed a place in the last four. After the epic match, Doudesis called it “the sweetest defeat of our careers.”

• In the semi-finals, the Dutch stormed past Italy, with a commanding 4-1 opening quarter proving decisive as they booked a place in the gold medal game alongside Hungary. Slow starts cost the Italians dearly in Funchal, ultimately denying them a podium finish. Against the Dutch, they conceded four goals in the first eight minutes. In the second group stage against Greece, they let in six in the first quarter (6-1), and five more in the bronze medal game, also against Greece (5-1). It would have been six again had Vasiliki Plevritou not skied her penalty in the final minute of the opening period.

• The Netherlands were pushed all the way by Hungary in the grand final, which finished level at 10-10. The Magyars held a two-goal lead twice in the first quarter (2-0 and 3-1), but the Dutch responded in the second period to move 3-5 ahead. Midway through the third, Hungary edged in front at 6-5, yet the title-holders regained the lead four more times (6-7, 7-8, 8-9 and 9-10), only to be pegged back on each occasion. In the shootout, the Dutch were flawless with all five of their attempts, while Rita Keszthelyi saw her second-round penalty saved by former club team-mate Laura Aarts. Dutch coach Eva Doudesis commented afterwards, “You can see the difference between the two teams is zero. It was a great battle to watch, not only for the neutrals, but also for us on the bench, although obviously we gain a lot of grey hair with these kind of games.”

• Britt van den Dobbelsteen faced Hungary’s opening penalty from Krisztina Garda in the final, but when Keszthelyi swam up to take their second, Aarts took over in goal. She read it perfectly, diving slightly to her right and deflecting the ball over the crossbar with her left hand to seal gold for the Dutch. Afterwards, Aarts reflected on the save: “If you know someone really well, after playing together and against her many times, not only in Hungary, but in all the European and World Championships, and Olympics, it’s very difficult to say who will outsmart the other. I think maybe it was also a little bit of luck, but I purposely jumped like this because I know her, and it turned out well.”

• Simone Van de Kraats was named MVP of the final after finishing as top scorer with three goals. Two of her strikes were precision lobs after several fakes, suggesting the Dutch were targeting Boglarka Neszmely with that type of shot, while her other goal came from a penalty. Van de Kraats also held her nerve in the third round of the shootout.

• Describing the triumph, Van de Kraats said afterwards: ‘The truth is we just don’t stop. Even if we are making mistakes, we admit it, we continue, and we carry on until the very end. It’s really a team effort, and we gave all of our energy in the final. Our route to the gold wasn’t easy, but it was really good for us because we had a lot of tough matches at the end, which prepared us well. We had to improve a lot, and we still need to improve a lot, but with every game, this new team is growing as we progress on our journey to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. In 2024, we played an amazing tournament at home, and here we did it again. It’s incredible and I’m so super proud of our team.’

• The triumph secured a magnificent seventh gold for the Netherlands, taking their overall European medal tally to 14 (seven gold, four silver and three bronze). The Dutch have now appeared in five of the last seven European Championships finals, winning three of the past five (2018, 2024 and 2026).

• Greece – just like the Dutch – didn’t lose a single game in regular time in Funchal, but had to settle for bronze after losing to Hungary on penalties in the semi-finals. They swept Italy aside to secure the final podium spot and finished as the tournament’s top scorers with 134 goals (nine ahead of Spain’s 125). Vasiliki Plevritou was the joint second-highest individual scorer overall (level with Croatia’s Iva Rozic and one behind Spain’s Bea Ortiz) with 24 goals, while Maria Myriokefalitaki ranked joint 10th with 18.

• Hungary remain on a strong run, reaching their third major final in succession after last year’s World Cup and World Championships, where they also had to settle for silver, losing to Greece on both occasions. Despite the defeat in the Funchal final, the Hungarians retain a narrow lead in the all-time European Championships medal table with 15 (three gold, six silver and six bronze), while the Dutch now have 14 (seven gold, four silver and three bronze).

• Croatia’s sixth-place finish also deserves a mention, as coach Mia Simunic guided the nation to their best-ever result at a European Championships, highlighted by an outstanding display against Israel in the 5th–8th semi-finals.

• For the first time, an MVP Team was named to recognise the tournament’s standout performers. The best seven of Funchal 2026 were:

• Laura Aarts (Netherlands) – The Dutch goalkeeper’s saves against Hungary in the key Group Stage II clash (15/19) proved pivotal – as did denying Rita Keszthelyi in the second round of the shootout in the final.

• Maria Myriokefalitaki (Greece) – A dominant force in Greece’s potent attack, especially from the centre, scoring 10 goals from that position (18 overall).

• Rita Keszthelyi (Hungary) – The Magyars captain led from the front, scoring twice in both the semi-final (where she was voted MVP) and the final, stepping up when it mattered most.

• Simone Van de Kraats (Netherlands) – Another outstanding tournament for the Dutch star, who was named MVP of the final after a superb hat-trick against Hungary and also converted in the third round of the shootout.

• Krisztina Garda (Hungary) – The Hungarian sharpshooter raised her game in the knockout phase, scoring twice in the semi-final win over Greece and adding two more in the final against the Netherlands.

• Kitty Lynn Joustra (Netherlands) – The powerful centre was almost unstoppable in the semi-final against Italy (where she was voted MVP) and finished as the top-scoring centre with 14 goals from that position, four clear of Italy’s Agnese Cocchiere and Greece’s Maria Myriokefalitaki. Joustra hit 22 goals in total.

• Eleni Xenaki (Greece) – Another player who stood out with several sparkling performances. She scored twice in the bronze medal game against Italy and was unfortunate to end up on the losing side after also netting two against Hungary in the semi-finals.

• Final rankings: 1. Netherlands, 2. Hungary, 3. Greece, 4. Italy, 5. Spain, 6. Croatia, 7. Israel, 8. France, 9. Great Britain, 10. Serbia, 11. Germany, 12. Portugal, 13. Türkiye, 14. Switzerland, 15. Slovakia, 16. Romania

• Tournament top scorer: Bea Ortiz (Spain) – 25 goals

For the full results and tables from the women’s European Water Polo Championships in Funchal, click here

Watch all the action from Funchal for free on Eurovision Sport

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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