2025 in review: women’s water polo

European women’s water polo enjoyed an exceptional 2025, with the continent asserting its strength across both major global competitions – the World Cup and World Championships – and signalling a clear shift in the balance of power away from the long-established dominance of the United States.

The highlight came in July at the World Championships in Singapore, where Greece, Hungary and Spain claimed gold, silver and bronze respectively.

It was only the third time – after 1994 and 2023 – that the podium featured exclusively European nations.

“We believed in ourselves, in our team, our system, and that led us to winning the gold,” said Greece’s Foteini Tricha, who also took home the tournament’s top scorer award after firing in 25 goals. “The field was really competitive and we deserved the title.”

In the final, Greece beat Hungary 12-9, while Spain edged past USA 13-12 to secure the bronze.

Three months earlier, in April, Greece also made history at the World Cup in Chengdu, China, capturing their first crown by defeating familiar foes Hungary in the final 13-9.

The Netherlands won the bronze with a 10-8 victory against Spain, producing only the second all-European World Cup podium (the other was in 1993), and marking the first European triumph since Hungary in 2002.

There was also a standout moment at the European Championships Qualification Tournaments in June, as Switzerland booked their place in the finals for the first time since 1995 after claiming second place in Group C.

The other qualifiers from Setubal, Hannover, Novi Sad and Novaky were Portugal, Romania, Germany, Türkiye, Serbia, Israel and Slovakia.

Spain’s youth teams also excelled in 2025, winning gold at both the U16 and U18 European Championships.

In Istanbul, the U16s defeated Greece 19-14 in the final, while Hungary claimed bronze with a 12-11 victory against Italy.

Across the Mediterranean in Malta, Spain’s U18s also overcame Greece 10-9 to win the gold, with Hungary again securing bronze after a late 5-0 surge saw them sink Italy 15-11.

The double success for the Spaniards was an outstanding achievement and marked the nation’s fifth gold across the last six continental age-group tournaments.

In the European club competitions, there was a changing of the guard in the Champions League, as Sant Andreu claimed their first-ever title in Athens, taking the lead against Sabadell for the first time with just 2.4 seconds remaining.

Queralt Anton’s decisive late goal completed a 0-3 surge in the final three minutes, securing a 9-8 victory and denying Sabadell a historic three-peat and eighth trophy.

Hosts Olympiacos completed the Champions League podium with an 18-11 win over FTC Telekom Waterpolo.

Elsewhere, Dutch side De Zaan captured the Euro Cup with a 24-16 aggregate victory over Pallanuoto Trieste, condemning the Italians to a second consecutive silver.

In the Challenger Cup, Türkiye’s Izmir successfully defended their 2024 crown with a narrow 9-8 win against domestic rivals Galatasaray, while ZAVK Mladost also returned to the podium, taking the bronze and matching their 2024 finish.

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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

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