By Will Baxley on SwimSwam
Serbia fended off Hungary 10-7 in the final of the 2026 European Water Polo Championships to win their 9th continent title.
The Serbs, who are also the 3x defending Olympic Champions, put on a show during the final half to the roar of a home crowd in Belgrade to secure the gold. The Serbs only let in two points during the final half after a 5-5 draw at halftime, while they scored five points against their rivals. Dusan Mandic was named the game’s MVP. He scored four of the Baltic country’s goals, including one from a penalty shoot, as well as an impressive steal and an assist to teammate Nikola Lukic.
This is Serbia’s sixth European Title from the last two decades, meaning they’ve won over half of all the Championships since becoming an independent nation in 2006. Including the country’s victories as part of Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro, it has amassed a record nine wins since the introduction of knockout rounds in 1989.
In its own right, Hungary made its 21st final appearance. Vigvari Vendel was its highest scorer in the final, netting three goals. Serbia was the only country Hungary lost to throughout the entire championship, to whom they lost once in the second round of play and again in the final. Prior to this tournament, the last time the two countries met was in the 2025 World Championship bronze medal match, where Hungary emerged victorious.
The bronze medal match saw Mediterranean nations Italy and Greece lock horns. The Greek men emerged with a decisive 12-5 victory, their first ever European Championship medal in the sport. Konstantinos Kakaris was named MVP for Greece in that match.
Greek water polo is on the up-and-up across both genders. In 2025, the nation’s women’s team won their first ever World Cup title and scored another gold at the World Championships.
Sitting just outside of the top four was the defending European and World Champions, Spain. They reaped 5th place in their first major tournament without now-retired superstar Felipe Perrone.
The overall top scorers of the tournament were Greece’s Stylianos Argyropopoulos and Frenchman Thomas Vernoux, scoring 26 goals each. Vernoux’s teammate Hugo Fontani had the most saves in goal, stopping 30 throughout the course of the tournament.
Final Standings
Serbia Hungary Greece Italy Spain Croatia Montenegro Romania France Georgia Netherlands Türkiye Malta Slovakia Slovenia IsraelThe women’s iteration of the Championships kicks off today on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The gold medal match, which could feature defending champions the Netherlands, will take place on February 5th.
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