After a day of thrilling battles, the first four quarter-finalists of the men’s water polo competition at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 were confirmed on Wednesday (16 July). Group toppers ITA (A), ESP (B), USA (C) and CRO (D) booked their spot in the last eight, while their opponents will be determined in the crossover matches on 18 July.

The final day of group games in the men’s water polo competition started with two hotly-contested games.

BRA staged a valiant comeback in their Group C tie against CAN, winning 19-18 after two rounds of penalty shootouts. The world No. 10 side fell to a 6-2 deficit in the first period against No. 13 CAN, but bounced back strongly to earn a notable second-place finish in the group.

Meanwhile, the clash between world No. 11 AUS and No. 12 JPN was neck and neck, with no more than two goals separating the two sides throughout four periods. JPN’s unique counter-attacking style of play meant they were constantly on the hunt in front of goal to win 12-11 while AUS could only rue a third straight defeat in the competition.

Hosts SGP were also in action, losing 26-6 to Group C winners USA. In only their first world championships appearance, the world No. 38, will next face world No. 19 CHN in their first classification match on 18 July.

In Group D, world No. 3 GRE put defending champions and top seeds CRO to the test, racing to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter. But CRO slowly penetrated the GRE defence to eventually tie the game at 6-6 early in the third quarter. They then found their rhythm and exerted their dominance with quick attacks, gaining the lead at 7-6 and never looking back. Alert goalkeeping from captain Marko BIJAC and a strong defensive effort helped them see out the game for an important 10-9 victory.

The grand finale of the day saw ESP come from behind to narrowly edge out HUN in heartbreaking fashion. It was a lively affair from the beginning with the score level at 2-2 after the first quarter, but HUN pulled ahead courtesy of a superior attack to lead 6-9 in the last quarter. However, the Spaniards came alive in the final minutes of the match, displaying their doggedness to score the last four goals and take the lead with just a minute remaining. ESP goalkeeper Unai AGUIRRE also did well to fend off a spirited HUN side, making two crucial saves in the dying seconds of the match to seal the win and a quarter-final spot for his side.

The full results are as follows –
CAN 18-19 BRA (PSO 7-8)

AUS 11-12 JPN

CHN 8-13 MNE

ITA 28-4 RSA

SRB 19-9 ROU

GRE 9-10 CRO

SGP 6-26 USA

ESP 10-9 HUN

Photo Credit: World Aquatics

The World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 runs from 11th July to 22nd August 2025. More information available here

The full schedule for the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 can be found here. Details on ticketing can be found here, and information on the extensive global coverage of the event can be found here.