Belgrade 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 11 match previews
Men’s European Water Polo Championships, Belgrade 2026
Match previews, Day 11 – Tuesday 20 January
(local times shown)
Group Stage II
Group E
15:30 Netherlands v France
• While France put up a good fight, Spain blew them away in the second half two days ago, the Netherlands have to bounce back from a bitter defeat against Montenegro where a blackout and a 0-7 run by their opponents cost them the match. The winners of this encounter will play for the 9th place while the loser will have to settle for the 11th place contest.
• Their head-to-head is tied over the course of the last 10 years, it stands at 4-4, with one draw. At the Europeans, France have the edge – they met here in the Belgrade Arena 10 years ago when France won 11-8. Four years later, France won again, 9-8 and two years ago the French claimed a big one, 16-9.
• Fun fact: Back in 2016, they not only clashed here in Belgrade, but with greater consequence, they faced off in the quarter-finals at the Olympic Qualification tournament. On that thrilling day, each QF battle produced utter excitement with three favourites barely surviving the respective contests though all were won with the same scoreline (HUN v GER 8-7, ESP v CAN 8-7, ITA v ROU 8-7). The fourth, where the French and the Dutch clashed, ended 8-8, so the shootout decided which team would go to Rio and the French pulled it off, 4-3. The Dutch have never got that close to the Games since, where their last appearance dates back to 2000.
Group Stage II
Group E
18:00 Spain v Hungary
• Though the quarter-finals are no longer part of the playing format, this clash kind of serves as a quarter-final match played for the semi-final berth. The picture is clear – the winner will play for the medals, the loser will head to the 5th-place classification game. It adds a special spice to this contest that this is going to be a re-match of last year’s World Championship final.
• If only European Championships are considered, an incredible set of statistics pop up from the history books. Hungary have never lost a match to Spain on this stage. The Magyars lead 17-0 at the Euros, besides three draws. Here are the results:
1954: 5-2, 1966: 6-1, 1974: 8-2, 1977: 4-2, 1981: 7-7, 1983: 12-10, 1985: 10-8, 1987: 7-5, 1989: 10-6, 1993: 14-11, 1995: 13-11, 1997: 7-7, 2001: 7-5, 2003: 10-2 (quarter-final), 2006: 16-10 (semi-final), 2008: 8-7, 2014: 12-9, 2020: 11-11, 9-9 (5-4 – final). 2022: 10-8 (semi-final).
• However, if recent results are considered, Spain’s angle is a lot better, as they won the last five encounters. After Hungary upended them 12-11 on the opening day of the World Cup Division I tournament in Otopeni, Spain took revenge there in the final (15-9), then went on to win two prep matches in the summer (16-13, 21-17), before they came from behind to win their group match at the World Championships with 10-9 and later they repeated that feat in the final to clinch the world title with 15-13. Spain also broke a bad series at the Olympics in Paris, in the group stage (8-5), beating the Magyars for the first time since 1996. Hungary’s last big success came in the semis at the 2023 Worlds where Krisztian Manhercz’s buzzer-beater won them the match 12-11.
• Spain are the title-holders and they have claimed a medal in the last four editions.
• Since the group-stage-knockout-phase format replaced the round robin tournaments in 1989, Hungary missed the semi-finals only three times (1989, 1991, 2018).
• Fun fact: There are ‘spies’ in both teams who are playing in the leading club of the opposite side – where the bulk of the national team players have been selected respectively. Spain’s Miguel del Toro is with FTC-Telekom where eight of Hungary’s players come from. And Hungary’s Vince Vigvari plays for Zodiac-Barceloneta, where he is a team-mate of seven players who are now on the Spanish roster.
Group Stage II
Group E
20:30 Serbia v Montenegro
• Serbia need a point to secure the top spot in the group – their semi-final berth has already been booked. In case the game between Hungary and Spain ends in a shootout, then Serbia would already be cemented to the first place before this game starts. For Montenegro, this is a game of prestige, as they are locked to the 4th place.
• Ten years ago, these two played the final in this Arena which drew a world record crowd of 18,473 fans. Serbia won 10-8 to clinch the title for the third time in a row. Four players from the current Serbian team were part of that show: Dusan Mandic, Sava Randjelovic, Milos Cuk and Nikola Jaksic. No one from the current Montenegrin team played in that match.
• Interestingly, at the Europeans, that was their last meeting. After the two countries separated and Montenegro entered the Championships as an independent team in 2008, they have met in five straight editions and always in the knockout phase, three times in the final. Montenegro caused a huge upset in Malaga right upon their first clash, but the next four went to the Serbs, all in extremely fierce battles.
2008: 5-6 (final, in extra time), 2010: 6-5 (quarter-finals), 2012: 9-8 (final), 2014: 10-9 (semi-final), 2016: 10-8 (final)
• In big-time matches, played at the Olympics and World Championships, the Serbs have been absolutely dominant – at these events they lead 6-1, besides two draws. The last – and only – Montenegrin win was in Barcelona at the 2013 Worlds where they upset the favourites 9-8 in the quarter-finals.
• Their two most recent encounters saw wins for Montenegro – a preparation game in late 2024, by penalties (14-14, 3-4) and their World Cup Division I meet a year ago when a young Serbian side were edged out 15-16.
• Fun fact: One person will admittedly have very special feelings tomorrow – he is the legendary Serbian, Dejan Savic. World champion, European champion and three-time Olympic medallist as a player, Savic is now leading Montenegro as head coach, but he was in charge of the Serbians 10 years ago when they downed their arch-rivals in that final. After sailing through the field, the Serbs found themselves in a tremendous fight as the Montenegrins were really up to the task, but with the world record crowd behind them, they battled their way through their opponents to lift the trophy at the end. Though Savic stuck himself to his self-imposed principle on this occasion as well – he never let his players throw him into the pool at the end of any triumphant finals.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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