Funchal 2026: Dutch delight as Netherlands secure second successive European crown with epic shootout victory
The Netherlands continued their dominance on the continental stage by retaining their European title with a sensational shootout victory in Thursday’s final against Hungary. Having been crowned champions in Eindhoven two years ago, the Dutch repeated the feat in Madeira to secure back-to-back wins. Laura Aarts was the hero, decisively saving Rita Keszthelyi’s penalty in […]
Funchal 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 11 preview – gold and bronze medal matches
Match previews, Day 11 – Thursday 5 February(Local times shown) Gold medal match 19:15 Hungary v Netherlands • Ten years after the two giants clashed in the European Championships final in Belgrade, they meet again. The Netherlands are looking for retaining their title while Hungary are gunning for their first gold since 2016. • Hungary […]
Funchal 2026: Spain surge past Croatia to finish fifth at European Championships
Spain brushed off the disappointment of missing out on a European Championships medal for the first time since 2012 by winning the 5th/6th final against Croatia in emphatic fashion. Earlier, Israel also ended their campaign on a high after producing a dominant display against France to finish seventh. Women’s 2026 European Water Polo Championships – […]
Funchal 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 10 preview – 5th-8th finals
Match previews, Day 10 – Wednesday 4 February(Local times shown) 5th/6th Final 19:15 Croatia v Spain • Interestingly, the recent men’s European Championships also saw these two nations play for the 5th place in Belgrade. However, the men’s teams contested that clash after disappointing campaigns – here, the Croats will be happy to play this […]
Funchal 2026: Hungary and Netherlands to battle for gold after sensational semi-final victories
Hungary were the first team to book their place in Thursday’s gold-medal game after needing penalties to get past a resilient Greece. The Magyars’ defence did a tremendous job, keeping the Greeks to just eight goals and completely shutting down their top scorer, Vasiliki Plevritou. Hungary were never behind, but the Greeks kept chasing them […]
Funchal 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 9 – semi-final previews
Match previews, Day 9 – Tuesday 3 February(Local times shown) 1st-4th Semi-finals 17:15 Greece v Hungary • This is a re-match of last year’s World Cup and World Championships finals. Greece won both in convincing style, it was 13-9 in Chengdu and 12-9 in Singapore. • The Greeks have remained the only unbeaten team in […]
Funchal 2026: Great Britain edge thriller with Serbia to secure ninth place
Great Britain had to dig deep – and survive a four-minute exclusion – to get the better of Serbia in an end-to-end classic that went right down to the wire. Serbia fought back to level at 9-9 late in the fourth, before Katy Cutler punched the air with delight after scoring what proved to be […]
Funchal 2026: Netherlands roar back against Spain to secure ticket to semi-finals
The Netherlands were involved in a second successive thriller in Madeira, battling back from 1-5 down to draw with Spain – a result that was enough to send them through to the semi-finals, despite losing the ensuing shootout. Earlier, world champions Greece maintained their 100% record in Funchal with an emphatic victory over Croatia. Italy […]
Funchal 2026: European Water Polo Championships Day 7 match previews
Match previews, Day 7 – Sunday 1 February(Local times shown) Group Stage II(9th-16th place) Group G 9:00 Slovakia v Türkiye • The Slovaks are chasing their first points here, and a win would lift them in the group to play for the 13th place. At the same time, the Turks, after beating Germany in a […]
Funchal 2026: Sensational Aarts propels title-holders Netherlands to narrow victory over Hungary
Title-holders Netherlands edged a fierce, defensive, low-scoring battle against Hungary on Saturday as the 1st-8th Group Stage II games got under way in Funchal. Dutch keeper Laura Aarts was the hero, saving 15 of the 19 shots Hungary fired at her, while the Magyars’ stopper Boglarka Neszmely was unfortunate to end up on the losing […]
