Spain, Hungary, Greece and Italy all marched into the quarter-finals by landing big wins on the last day of the Group Stage at the Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships in Istanbul on Sunday.

Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships
Day 3 Results – Istanbul, Türkiye
Sunday 29 June 2025

Group A

Spain 20-8 Serbia
Hungary 18-5 Netherlands

Standings: 1. Spain 9pts, 2. Hungary 6pts, 3. Netherlands 3pts, 4. Serbia 0pts

Group B

Greece 26-4 Germany
Italy 24-9 Croatia

Standings: 1. Greece 9pts, 2. Italy 6pts, 3. Germany 3pts, 4. Croatia 0pts

Group C

Czechia 6-4 Slovakia
Türkiye 15-10 France

Standings: 1. Türkiye 9pts, 2. Czechia 6pts, 3. France 3pts, 4. Slovakia 0pts

Group D

Romania 12-14 Ukraine

Standings: 1. Romania 3pts, 2. Ukraine 3pts, 3. Malta 3pts

Women’s U16 European Water Polo Championships
Day 4 Crossover Fixtures – Istanbul, Türkiye
Monday 30 June 2025
(Local times shown)

15:00: Serbia v Türkiye
16:30: Netherlands v Czechia
18:00: Croatia v Romania
19:30: Germany v Ukraine

Greece made few mistakes in their clash with Germany – in fact they had virtually wrapped up the win in eight minutes as they rallied to a 6-0 lead against the Germans, who could only hit their first goals in the middle of the second period at 8-0. All the Greek outfield players managed to score and nine of them finished with at least two goals.

Italy followed them into the quarter-finals shortly after. The Croats, perhaps still in shock after losing to Germany a day earlier, were down by five after just four minutes. The half-time score says it all, 14-3, and it didn’t look much better at the end.

In Group A, Spain did a clean job against the Serbs. A very strong first half, ending in a 13-3 rout, did the damage, but the second half was a bit more balanced as the tournament favourites cleared the first hurdle flawlessly winning three out of three.

Second place and the other quarter-final berth was at stake in the match between Hungary and the Netherlands. While at senior level this is usually a great battle, here it was a lopsided contest right from the beginning.

The Magyars stormed to a 6-0 lead which determined the rest of the game. The gap grew somewhat slower in the following periods, but the Hungarians’ superiority was never in question. They booked their place in the quarters while the Dutch will have to play in Monday’s crossovers.

In the second division, there were a lot more excitements on Day 3, with a fierce battle of neighbours’ kicking off the day as Czechia and Slovakia staged a memorable showdown.

The Slovaks fought hard and took a slender 0-2 lead by half-time, but their efforts took a toll as they were tiring as more and more exclusions were called against them. The Czechs took advantage in the third and finally broke the ice after a lengthy 20:11 minutes and they added another goal from extra 34 seconds from time to make it 2-2.

Slovakia hit back with a double in 67 seconds in the fourth, however, these were the only goals they could score in the entire second half – while their arch-rivals could level again with 3:37 to go.

The Slovaks missed a crucial six on five at 4-4 and an action goal from Ludmila Chlupsova put the Czechs ahead for the first time in the match with 1:53 remaining and they secured the comeback win with another six on five hit 35 seconds from time.

Their rank depended on the result in the last match between Türkiye and France. After the host nation continued their fine form in Istanbul with another victory, it meant Czechia secured the second spot and a place in the crossovers.

So far, it’s been a tournament to remember for the Türks, as they maintained their winning streak with relative ease. Captain Eda Moroglu fired in five times against the French, with four of them penalties, while Mina Bozkurt hit six.

In the crossovers on Monday, Türkiye will face Serbia, and an expectant crowd will once again fill the arena to see if they can reach the last eight.

Group D didn’t lack dramatic scenes either, as Romania and Ukraine played a back-and-forth game where the lead changed hands constantly.

Early in the third, the Romanians led 9-7, but their opponents hit three in a row in 78 seconds. Viktoriia Rudnyk’s last-gasp goal then gave Ukraine a 10-11 lead at the end of the third and they managed to stay in front throughout the fourth, which sent them to the crossovers, at the expense of Malta.

After their four-goal defeat to Romania on day one, the Maltese dropped to last place in a three-way tie.