It took a penalty shootout to separate Spain and Italy at Budapest 2022, reversing the result of the previous World Championship final in Gwangju, South Korea. Will these two teams be at the forefront of medal contention in Fukuoka? There are so many teams with aspirations that the competition will be tight at every turn.
The recent World Aquatics World Cup finals series in Los Angeles gives us very definite pointers to who are the teams to beat. It was Spain who triumphed again over Italy in the gold-medal final, with an emphatic 10-4 decision that stunned most bystanders, especially as the final quarter did not yield a score.
Thus, Spain is the form team, ably led by veteran Felipe Perrone who, at 37, is still pounding in goals like he was a youngster. His triple in the Los Angeles final is testament to that.
Looking at history, it was in Fukuoka that Spain won its second consecutive title, downing Yugoslavia. Victory here again will mean four titles, something only Italy has achieved — 1978, 1994, 2011 and 2019. It was a losing finalist on three other occasions and has two bronzes, sitting at No 2 on the all-time ladder, one behind Hungary with its 11 medals.
The World Cup also brought United States of America into the mix with its upset replay victory over Hungary. Regardless of who won, both these teams are excellent chances in a 12-month period that contains two World Aquatics Championships and an Olympic Games.
These championships are the first time that 15 players can be used for each team with only 13 on the roster each day.
Pretenders To The Throne
Italy, USA, Hungary, Greece and even Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro spring to mind as the ones most likely. USA’s rise to third in the world this year is just a reinforcement of Dejan Udovicic’s programme that gained a silver medal behind Italy at last year’s World League.
The Fukuoka Groups
Group A:
Pan Am champion USA is in the box seat to top the group if it can maintain the rage from Los Angeles. Its best result this year was the 15-9 win over Hungary in Zagreb at the World Cup qualifiers, followed by the World Cup bronze, also over Hungary. It slumped by six goals to Italy, but Los Angeles form attests it will be a team to watch closely.
Greece downed Serbia 16-14 in Podgorica and beating Romania for fifth in Los Angeles was not where the team wanted to be. An uncharacteristic 6-4 loss to Hungary in the World Cup quarterfinal created no furry feelings. Greece has three bronze medals with the third in Budapest last year when it toppled Croatia.
Australia has struggled post-Covid, like its women’s team, and a 10-goal loss to Spain in Podgorica is not the benchmark. The 15-goal loss to Greece also shows just how far the Aussie Sharks need to progress on the shorter road to Paris 2024.
Kazakhstan dipped to Germany 12-1 in the last qualification match for Los Angeles in Berlin, so the wide gap will need bridging if it hopes to slide into the top echelon.
Group B:
World League champion Italy has the credentials and the high status momentarily and should not be pressured by another other team in the group. Its competition will start in the quarterfinals.
France is keen to impress ahead of Paris 2024 and every match is a stepping stone to that target. France did not win in Zagreb earlier in the year, however, three of its five losses were by just three goals, one by four and the five-goaler to Croatia the only real blip.
China is back on the scene and preparing for the September-October Asian Games where it will hope to secure an Olympic berth. Covid has stunted its programme, with the last visit to the World Championships being 15th in 2015.
Canada has been absent from the world stage since finishing last in Budapest in 2022, bowing to Brazil. Canada has some big-time players and will need them at their best if they hope to win matches.
Group C:
European champion Croatia and Montenegro were non-qualifiers for the World Cup finals, both being tipped out by the narrowest of scoring differentials after finishing equal on points with higher teams. Croatia fell to Italy by a single goal and three goals to Hungary. Montenegro lost by four to Spain and two to Serbia, so the differences are not that great. Croatia has two titles (2007 and 2017), one silver and five bronzes as a single country and Montenegro has a 2013 silver while one gold (2005) and one silver as a combined nation — Serbia & Montenegro.
Argentina is back in the fold after last fronting in 2015 when it finished 16th. It takes over from Brazil as the South American representative.
South Africa finished seventh in the Berlin qualification tournament, defeating New Zealand 9-7. It was a respectable 12th in Budapest, losing out to Australia in the classifications.
Group D:
Spain is the superstar team and as Fukuoka was a happy hunting ground before — albeit in an outdoor pool with 50C on pool deck in 2001 — chances of a repeat are high.
Hungary has an enviable record at this level with the most medals and will be hoping that the recent re-introduction of superstar Denes Varga (above) to the fold will enhance further its chances of making the medal dais. Expect to see Hungary in the quarterfinals even if it does not win the group.
Serbia is never to be under-estimated as it seeks to secure the correct combinations and players for next year’s Olympic Games defence. Titles in 2009 and 2015 with a silver and a bronze as a single nation, are information enough for any challengers. It lost to Croatia in the fifth-sixth play-off in Budapest — the first major test after shedding its seven superstars following the Tokyo heroics.
Japan can be a slippery customer when let loose. It knocked on the door in Tokyo and finished ninth in Budapest, fending off Georgia. Japan’s aim is the Asian Games n Hangzhou, China and its showing in Fukuoka, at home, could be most telling, especially with human dynamo Yusuke Inaba the chief destroyer.
Match Of The Day
Serbia against Spain in the final match of the day. It’s a crucial encounter considering Hungary is in the same group and these three will be battling for supremacy. One slip-up could have fatal consequences.
Day 2 Schedule
Match 1, 09:00, Kazakhstan v United States of America
Match 2, 10:30, Australia v Greece
Match 3, 12:00, Canada v China
Match 4, 13:30, France v Italy
Match 5, 16:00, Argentina v Croatia
Match 6, 17:30, Montenegro v South Africa
Match 7, 19:00, Hungary v Japan
Match 8, 20:30, Serbia v Spain