Coimbra, Istanbul, Athens Named 2027 Water Polo World Cup Hosts
World Aquatics this week announced Istanbul, Athens and Coimbra, Portugal, as hosts for the 2027 Water Polo World Cup.
All three locations will host matches that contribute to the first qualification spot for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The women’s Division 2 and Division 1 competitions will be in Coimbra in December 2026, running consecutively from Dec. 6-19. The men’s Division 1 and 2 events will be in Turkey in Jan. 11-24, 2027.
The World Cup final will be held on Feb. 24-28, 2027, in Athens, which will include the first qualification opportunities for the Olympics. This is the second time that World Aquatics is holding the two finals together in the same city after success with that schema in 2026. It brings a taste of the Olympics, at the OAKA Olympic Aquatic Centre that hosted the water polo competition at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Competition schedules will be confirmed after the Oct. 12 registration deadline.
“The Water Polo World Cup always provides great drama and entertainment, and with three outstanding host cities in place and the added significance of a spot at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games at stake, we are confident that the 2027 edition will be one to remember,” World Aquatics president Husain Al Musallam said in a press release. “Our ambition is to continue generating extraordinary momentum for water polo around the world. Following a landmark year in 2026 which heralded record-breaking participation and demonstrated the incredible global appeal of our sport, we are excited to see how this upcoming edition will spark even greater growth in the years to come.”
The World Cup is the steppingstone to a busy year of competition, which includes the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest from June 26-July 18. There are also U-20 World Championships in 2027, with the men competing in May and the women in August. Seeding for the World Championships will be determined by the final ranking after the World Cup.
The top two teams in the Division 2 tournaments, which are open to all eligible World Aquatics member nations, will secure spots in the finals in Athens alongside five teams from the Division 1 tournament and host Greece.
The competition field in Division 1 is set, with the top seven teams in the world rankings and the winner of the 2026 Division 2 championships. That field is:
- Men: Croatia, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia, United States and reigning champion Greece
- Women: Australia, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Russia and reigning champions United States
The 2028 Olympic water polo field will feature 12 teams in the men’s and women’s competitions, the first instance of gender parity. The U.S. qualifies automatically as the host. The highest-placed team from the World Cup final will also qualify for Los Angeles.
