The 2026 World Aquatics Men's U16 Water Polo Championships was the third edition of the men's U16 Water Polo World Championship. The tournament was played in Zagreb, Croatia, from 3 to 9 August 2026.
36 teams participated in the tournament. The host team, Croatia, secured their first ever title with a victory over Spain in the final, 10–7.
Hosts selection Zagreb in Croatia was given the hosting rights on 7 January 2026.
Participating teams
Africa
Americas
Asia
Europe (hosts)
Oceania
Format The tournament consisted of two phases: Group stage All 36 participating teams played in one common group. Each team played four matches. The first 32 teams advanced to the knockout stage. Knockout stage / Consolation Based on their group placement, each team was placed in one of four playoff sections: 1st–8th place, 9th–16th place, 17th–24th place and 25th–32nd place; all of which were played as a series of playoffs, consolation playoffs and final classification matches. The teams from 33rd to 36th place were dropped to the consolation group, which was played in a round-robin format.
Group stage Positions in the table are determined by the Tournament Performance Index (TPI) rather than total points. The TPI is calculated as the arithmetic average of match performance scores, factoring in the match outcome, goal difference, and the opponent's strength (Elo rating).
33rd–36th place classification
25th–32nd place playoffs
17th–24th place playoffs
9th–16th place playoffs
Championship playoffs
Final standings
Rank Team 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Rank Team 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Rank Team 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Awards MVP of the final match: Ante Domazet MVP of the tournament: Deni Sappe
Squads (champions) Luko Vezilić (captain), Roko Koncul, Toma Bošnjak, Petar Lončarić, Patrik Kundid, Bartol Smoje, Toni Cvitan, Deni Sappe, Vlaho Rajčević, Duje Srzić, Vito Lokas, Andrija Bujas, Karlo Gale, Ante Domazet, Luka Terzić. Coach: Bruno Sabioni.
References