The official team draw for the Men’s and Women’s Water Polo Tournaments at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 took place Wednesday evening at the World Aquatics interim office in Budapest, setting the stage for the battle for global supremacy in aquatic team sport.
With just over two months to go until the tournament begins, all qualified nations now know their group-stage opponents for the 22nd edition of the World Aquatics Championships.
The draw ceremony was hosted in Budapest by players Laura Ester Ramos of Spain and Filip Filipovic of Serbia, alongside World Aquatics President Captain Husain Al-Musallam and Singapore 2025 Co-Chair and Olympian Mark Chay.
Croatia and the United States will begin their title defences in the men’s and women’s tournaments, respectively. The Croatian men arrive in Singapore off the back of a silver medal finish at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and are targeting their fourth world title, having previously won in Doha (2024), Budapest (2017), and Melbourne (2007).
The U.S. women, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from a fourth-place finish in Paris—where their quest for a fourth straight Olympic gold came to an end—and a disappointing World Cup campaign, in which they failed to qualify out of the Division 1 tournament to the final.
In other storylines, Serbia enters Singapore as the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s tournament, claiming gold at three consecutive Games. Spain, fresh from securing its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s water polo at Paris 2024, will aim to continue its momentum.
Men’s Water Polo Tournament | 16 Qualified Countries
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Serbia
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Croatia
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United States of America
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Spain
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Greece
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Hungary
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Italy
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Montenegro
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Romania
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Brazil
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Canada
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Japan
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China
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Australia
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South Africa
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Singapore (host nation)
Women’s Water Polo Tournament | 16 Qualified Countries
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Spain
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Australia
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Netherlands
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Greece
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Hungary
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Italy
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France
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Great Britain
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Croatia
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United States of America
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Argentina
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China
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Japan
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New Zealand
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South Africa
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Singapore (host nation)
Men’s Draw Results | Tough tests ahead as reigning champions, Olympic medalists, and host nation learn their group-stage opponents
Croatia begins its journey to defend its World Championship title from Group D, where it will compete against Greece, Montenegro, and the People's Republic of China.
In Group A, Serbia, the reigning Olympic champions, will face Italy, the four-time World Champions, along with Romania and South Africa.
Spain, the 2025 Men's Water Polo World Cup champions, aims to add an even larger trophy to their collection from Group B, where they will take on Hungary, the 2023 World Champions, as well as Australia and Japan.
The host nation, Singapore, is in Group C, where it will compete against the USA, the bronze medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympics, along with Brazil and Canada.
Group A
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Serbia
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Italy
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Romania
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South Africa
Group B
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Spain
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Hungary
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Australia
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Japan
Group C
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United States
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Brazil
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Canada
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Singapore
Group D
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Croatia
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Greece
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Montenegro
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China
Women's Draw Results |Champions collide early as USA, Spain, and Greece headline balanced group-stage matchups
The USA, the defending World Champions, was drawn in Group B for the tournament. In this group, they will face the 2023 World Champions from the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, and Argentina.
Olympic champions Spain will compete in Group D, where they will battle against Great Britain, South Africa, and France.
Olympic silver medalists Australia will begin their campaign in Group A, taking on Italy, New Zealand, and the host nation, Singapore.
In Group C, Greece and Hungary, the gold and silver medalists from the Women's Water Polo World Cup 2025 Final, will also compete against Japan and Croatia.
Group A
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Australia
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Italy
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Singapore
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New Zealand
Group B
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People’s Republic of China
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Argentina
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United States of America
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Netherlands
Group C
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Croatia
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Greece
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Japan
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Hungary
Group D
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Great Britain
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South Africa
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France
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Spain