After finishing third in 2024, Spain’s Sant Andreu built on that success by taking two steps up on the podium last year, as they memorably lifted the famous trophy in Athens. A dominant first quarter saw them take control of their semifinal with FTC, before they went on to upset Sabadell 9-8 in the final and deny their domestic rivals a third successive Champions League title.
In the gold medal game, Sant Andreu produced one of the most spectacular finishes in the history of the competition to stun the defending champions, who were leading 8-6 with just under three minutes remaining.
Ariadna Ruiz scored with 2:53 left on the clock, before a late double from Queralt Anton sparked incredible scenes in the Greek capital, as the winner arrived just two seconds before the buzzer.
Twelve months later and Sant Andreu are back in the Final 4 for the third season in a row and looking to secure back-to-back crowns, but their route to Malta wasn’t plain sailing, especially in the quarterfinals where Vouliagmeni pushed them all the way.
Javier Aznar’s squad sailed through the Group Stage, winning all six of their games against SIS Roma, One Eger and ZV De Zaan, before facing a huge challenge in the last eight.
In the first leg, Vouliagmeni raced into a five-goal lead (2-7) midway through the second period and Sant Andreu looked in trouble, but they quickly fought back to level and travelled to Greece for the return fixture with the scores locked at 11-11.
The second leg in Athens was just as entertaining, with the hosts – who were looking to reach the Final 4 for the first time since 2019 – putting up another huge fight and leading by four in the second (6-2) and third (10-6) quarters.
Similar to last year’s final, Sant Andreu found themselves trailing as the game headed into the last few minutes (11-9), but two late goals from the Ruiz sisters – first Elena, then Ariadna with 0:44 on the clock – sent the game to a shootout.
Ariadna may have missed her penalty in the fourth round of shots, but fellow Spanish Olympic champion Martina Terre produced two saves to keep their hopes of winning a second title alive.
“This season, so far, has been really tough at times,” said Sant Andreu’s Australian star Pippa Pedley, who joined the club last summer alongside international team-mate Alice Williams. “We had quite a few close games in the Group Stage, but ended up undefeated and finished top of our pool.
“The quarterfinal games with Vouliagmeni were extremely exciting. They were very close and a really good challenge for the team.
“The win in Greece on penalties was definitely the highlight of our Champions League campaign so far.
“It was such a crazy game, as we were down by four goals in the third quarter, so it was a huge challenge for us to overcome.
“But in the end we equalised in the last minute and won on penalties after a few huge saves by Martina [Terre].
“Another highlight was definitely jumping in the ocean after that victory and even managing to get our coach Javi to jump in with us.
“Now, we’re fully focused on the Final 4 and our first game against FTC, which will be another huge challenge, but hopefully we can get the win.
“The team has been working so hard for this and we’ve been progressing so well throughout the season. We’re all super excited for Malta and I really want to help the team finish the season off really well together.”
Sant Andreu edged both of their clashes against FTC in last year’s Champions League – 9-8 in the Qualification Round, and 10-7 in the semis – but with both teams’ rosters changing considerably since then and the Hungarians yet to lose in regular time this season across all competitions, the title holders will need to be at the very top of their game to reach the final once again.
The squad will also be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of losing the recent Spanish play-off finals to fellow Malta qualifiers Mataro, who beat them 2-1 (8-10, 14-11 and 10-9) to secure the domestic title.
CN Sant Andreu – Route to Malta Final 4
2025/26 Results
Group Stage
(1st place, Group D)
Sant Andreu 19-8 One Eger
ZV De Zaan 7-14 Sant Andreu
Sant Andreu 13-10 SIS Roma
One Eger 7-13 Sant Andreu
Sant Andreu 13-9 ZV De Zaan
SIS Roma 15-16 Sant Andreu
Quarterfinals
Sant Andreu 11-11 Vouliagmeni
Vouliagmeni 14-15* Sant Andreu (11-11 FT)
(Agg: 26-25)
Best Champions League finishes
1st – 2025
3rd – 2024
2026 Final 4 Fixtures
Semifinals
Wednesday 10 June
(Local times shown)
19:00: FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) v CN Sant Andreu (ESP)
21:00: Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) v Olympiacos SFP (GRE)
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Andy Rollé for European Aquatics
