LAUSANNE – The world’s top eight men’s and women’s national water polo teams will compete for the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup crowns in Sydney, with both tournaments set to take place from 20–26 July 2026.

Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and Australia’s largest city, will host the event for the first time. A fabulous host of the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney last welcomed a global aquatics event in 2011. The 2026 World Cup Finals mark the return of a world-class aquatics event to Oceania for the first time since Melbourne held the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in 2022.

The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre will once again take centre stage for world-class water polo action when it hosts the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals. The venue is steeped in Olympic history: it was here that the Aussie Stingers captured the first-ever women’s water polo Olympic gold medal in 2000, when the sport made its Olympic debut. That same year, Hungary began a remarkable run of three consecutive Olympic titles in the men’s tournament, extending Hungary’s all-time national record to nine Olympic titles in men’s water polo.

Bronte Halligan, captain of the Australia Stingers women’s national water polo team and Olympic silver medallist from the Paris 2024 Games, expressed her delight in the news announcing Sydney as host to next year’s Water Polo World Cup Finals.

“I am so excited that Sydney, Australia, will host the World Cup in 2026. Having a World Cup final in my hometown and, hopefully, playing in front of a hometown crowd with all our friends and family is very exciting.

“Playing at the Sydney Olympic Pool brings up a lot of emotions. It has been a dream of many of us to play international water polo in the pool since the Stingers won Olympic Gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000,” added Halligan. “And now, hopefully, it will be a reality where the Stingers and all other international teams can showcase women’s water polo on a global stage, 26 years after the great Sydney Olympics.

“We cannot wait to host all the teams at the iconic location and hopefully inspire a new generation after us.”

Aussie Sharks captain Nathan Power echoes Halligan's celebratory sentiments of Sydney being named host, adding, “We’re looking forward to welcoming the top water polo nations to Australia next year for the World Aquatics World Cup Finals. Being able to play in front of family, friends and a home crowd is something we don’t often get to experience, so to have this opportunity is one that means a lot to us and our community.

“With the green and gold runway to Brisbane 2032 in full swing, this is hopefully a first taste of more world class water polo that will be heading down under over the next 7 years.” 

Defending Champions Eye More World Cup Gold

Spain enters Sydney as the two-time defending men’s World Cup champions, following their hard-fought 16–14 victory over Greece in the 2025 final in Podgorica, Montenegro. On the women’s side, Greece is the reigning champion after defeating Hungary 13–9 in the 2025 final in Chengdu, China.

Hungary claimed bronze in last year’s men’s tournament after outlasting Croatia 18–15 in a penalty shootout, while the Netherlands secured bronze in the women’s event with a 10–8 victory over Spain.

Spanish goalkeeper Unai Aguirre will be central to Spain’s bid for a World Cup gold three-peat. Named Best Goalkeeper at both the 2022 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest and the 2023 Water Polo World Cup—and the reigning world champion following Spain’s triumph at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore—Aguirre welcomed the announcement that Sydney will host the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Final.

“I’m excited to play in Sydney at next year’s World Cup, where we’ll be aiming for our third title in a row. We’ll be competing in the Olympic pool from the Sydney 2000 Games, which took place before I was even born, so it’s really special for me. See you there in July!”

Coming off a year in which the Greek women won both the Water Polo World Cup and the World Championships in Singapore, national team captain Eleftheria Plevritou says Greece is on a mission to defend its titles.

"As the reigning World Cup Champions, I’m excited to kick off a new season of top-level water polo. Sydney holds incredible memories from the 2000 Olympics, and returning to the iconic Olympic Pool for the final makes it even more special. We’re ready to defend our title and bring our best to every match on the road to Sydney!

World Championships Bonus | Top Teams Earn Automatic Qualification for Budapest 2027

The top three men’s and women’s teams from the 2026 Water Polo World Cup Finals will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. The World Cup champions will also earn a top-line position in the championship draw, joining the reigning Olympic champions from Paris 2024 (Serbia for the men and Spain for the women) and the reigning World Champions from Singapore 2025 (Spain for the men and Greece for the women).

Route to the World Cup Finals in Sydney | How Teams Qualify for the 2026 Tournament

Competition for a spot at the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals in Sydney will be fierce, with only eight teams in each tournament earning the right to compete. Six teams in each gender will qualify through the Division 1 tournaments, and two spots will be claimed via the Division 2 events.

The men’s Division 1 and Division 2 tournaments will take place from 7–12 April 2026, with World Aquatics announcing the host cities in the coming weeks.

The women's Division 2 tournament is scheduled for 21–26 April, followed by Division 1 from 1–6 May. The hosts for both events will be confirmed and announced soon to complete the qualifying road to Sydney.

2026 Water Polo World Cup Calendar

The upcoming year will also include the biennial Men’s and Women’s U18 and U16 Water Polo World Championships. The Men’s U18 Water Polo World Championships are scheduled to take place from 27 June to 4 July, followed by the Women’s U18 event from 16 to 23 August. The Men’s and Women’s U16 Water Polo World Championships will be held concurrently from 25 July to 7 August.

At the U18 level, Hungary enters as the defending men’s champion, while Spain holds the women’s title. At the U16 level, Spain is the reigning champion in both the men’s and women’s competitions.