Water Polo at the 2024 Olympics Preview and Standings

Last update: 8/12/2024

Competition starts on July 27th, 2024 and runs through August 11th. Group play will take place at the Paris Aquatic Centre followed by playoffs and the championship games at Paris La Dรฉfense Arena.

The tournament will be comprised of 22 teams, twelve in the men’s division and ten in the women’s division. Teams that earned qualification include those from events like the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, the 2023 Pan American Games, and the 2024 European Championships.

What’s covered in this article:

View Final Standings

  • Participating Teams
  • Build Your Bracket
  • Tournament Format
  • Men’s Schedule
  • Women’s Schedule
  • Venue
  • Favorites
  • How to Watch
  • Current Standings

Which teams are participating in the water polo tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics?

๐Ÿคฝโ€โ™‚๏ธ Men’s Division๐Ÿคฝโ€โ™€๏ธ Women’s Division
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ด Romania๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Canada
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands
๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ช Montenegro๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Greece
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น Italy
๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท France๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain
๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต Japan
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain

Jump to final standings

Build Your Water Polo Bracket

Pick the game winners, submit your bracket, and enter for a chance to win a โ‚ฌ500 coupon on wearwaterpolo.com. Shoutout to Liam Frank for creating the bracket system. Total Water Polo ran with the idea after Liam shared the bracket builder on a reddit post.

Here’s how it works. You’ll make a copy of a Google Sheet, pick the winners of the group play games, and then pick the winners of the bracket stage. The sheet is automated and will be updated with real-time results by Total Water Polo.

What is the tournament format?

Preliminary Round

Each team will play against the other members of their group in the preliminary rounds. The top 4 teams from each of the two groups will advance to the quarter-finals, meaning 8 of the 12 teams will continue playing in the men’s division, and 8 of the 12 will advance from the women’s side.

Since there are no ties in international water polo, the top 4 teams in each group are essentially determined by points and goal differential. A team earns 2 points for a win and 0 points for a loss. Ties in rankings are effectively decided by the outcome of the matchup.

Knockout Stage

Four games will be played in the quarter-finals round, with the four winners advancing to the semi-finals. From there, the two winners will play for gold, and the two losers will compete for bronze.

Men’s Knockout Stage Format | Source: Wikipedia

What is the men’s water polo schedule at the Olympics?

The men’s games will start on Sunday, July 28th, 2024. Group play matches will take place every other day. The top 8 teams will advance to the quarter finals round on Wednesday, August 7th. The 4 winning teams will move on to the semi finals on Friday, August 9th. The final day of the tournament, Sunday, August 11th, will feature two matches, one for the gold medal and another for the bronze.

DateEvent
Sun. 7/28Group Play
Tue. 7/30Group Play
Thu. 8/1Group Play
Sat. 8/3Group Play
Mon. 8/5Group Play
Wed. 8/7Quarter Finals
Fri. 8/9Semi Finals
Sun. 8/11๐Ÿฅ‰ Bronze and ๐Ÿฅ‡ Gold Matches

What is the women’s water polo schedule at the Olympics?

The women’s games will start on Saturday, July 27th, 2024. Group play matches will take place every other day. The top 8 teams will advance to the quarter finals round on Tuesday, August 6th. The 4 winning teams will move on to the semi finals on Thursday, August 9th. Saturday, August 11th, will feature two matches, one for the gold medal and another for the bronze.

DateEvent
Sat. 7/27Group Play
Mon. 7/29Group Play
Wed. 7/31Group Play
Fri. 8/2Group Play
Sun. 8/4Group Play
Tue. 8/6Quarter Finals
Thu. 8/8Semi Finals
Sat. 8/10๐Ÿฅ‰ Bronze and ๐Ÿฅ‡ Gold Matches

Where are the matches being played?

The majority of the preliminary games will be played at the Olympic Aquatics Center in Saint-Denis, France. The final matches, along with a few preliminary matches, will be hosted at the main aquatic venue inside Paris La Defense Arena.

Which water polo teams are favorites to win?

Men’s Division

Despite finishing in third place at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships, Spain actually defeated the would-be champion Croatia in the early stages of group play, 10-6. Earning their Olympic bid by placing first at the 2023 European World Championships, Spain has been a dominant team at recent tournaments, consistently finishing in top positions.

Keep an eye out for two of their top players, Felipe Perrone and รlvaro Granados, as they aim to lead Spain to the finals.

Embed from Getty Images

Other contenders include Croatia, the recent 2024 World Aquatics Championships winner, and runner-up Italy. With more Olympic water polo medals than any other country, Hungary is always a force to be reckoned with at big tournaments. Lastly, watch out for Serbia, Greece, and France to deliver strong performances. All three teams lost close matches at the recent World Championships, indicating their potential to excel on the Olympic stage.

Women’s Division

Eight-time world champion, Team USA, enters the 2024 Olympics as the clear favorite. The United States has clinched gold in the last three Olympic water polo tournaments, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Keep an eye on goalie Ashleigh Johnson, known for making clutch saves, while leading scorers Maddie Musselman and Maggie Steffens drive the offense.

Embed from Getty Images

Team USA will face tough opponents throughout the tournament, as Hungary and Spain recently played tight games against them at the 2024 World Championships. Other contenders include Greece, the Netherlands, and Australiaโ€”all of which had very close matches against the championship contenders at the recent world championship tournament.

How to watch water polo at the Olympics

Where will water polo be streamed? Olympic water polo coverage will be available to stream on Peacock.


Water Polo at The Summer Olympics Brackets and Standings

Follow the results of the water polo games at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France. Teams earn 3 points for an outright win, 2 points for a win in a shootout, 1 point for a loss in a shootout, and 0 points for a loss in regulation. After the group stage, the tournament format becomes single elimination.

Olympic Game Results

Last updated 8/12/2024

Men’s Water Polo Final Tournament Bracket

Quarter Finals (Wed. 8/7)Semi Finals (Fri. 8/10)Finals (Sun. 8/12)
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece 11
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธSerbia 12๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia 10
๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia 13
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUSA 11๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ USA 6
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia 10๐Ÿฅ‡ ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธ Serbia
๐Ÿฅˆ ๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly 10๐Ÿฅ‰ ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ USA
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary 12๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Hungary 8
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia 11
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ทCroatia 10๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia 9
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain 8

Men’s Water Polo Group Stage Results

Group play wrapped up on 8/5, with the quarter-final rounds starting on 8/7. The top 4 teams from each group advanced. Here are the current men’s team standings.

Group AFlagTeamGames PlayedGoal Diff.Points
1๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece5911
2๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly51711
3๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUSA589
4๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ทCroatia519
5๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ชMontenegro5-55
6๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ดRomania5-300
Group BFlagTeamGames PlayedGoal Diff. Points
1๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain52812
2๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia529
3๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary589
4๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ธSerbia5-56
5๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทFrance5-63
6๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ตJapan5-233

Women’s Water Polo Final Tournament Bracket

Quarter Finals (Tue. 8/6)Semi Finals (Thu. 8/8)Finals (Sat. 8/10)
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia 9
๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece 6๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia 14
๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia 9
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary 4๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ USA 13
๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUSA 5๐Ÿฅ‡ ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain
๐Ÿฅˆ ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ Australia
๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑNetherlands 11๐Ÿฅ‰ ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands
๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly 8๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Netherlands 18
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain 11
๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆCanada 8๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Spain 19
๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain 18

Women’s Water Polo Group Stage Results

Group play wrapped up on 8/4, with the quarter-final rounds starting on 8/6. The top 4 teams from each group advanced. Here are the current women’s team standings.

Group BFlag
TeamsGames PlayedGoal Diff.Points
1๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธSpain41512
2๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธUSA4269
3๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡นItaly4-63
4๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ทGreece4-83
5๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ทFrance4-273
Group AFlag
TeamsGames PlayedGoal Diff.Points
1๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฑNetherlands41510
2๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บAustralia4510
3๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บHungary497
4๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆCanada4-123
5๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณChina4-170

Live results can be found at Total Water Polo.

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