Croatian women’s water polo team reaches world champs for first time

(Photo: HVS)

In what is a historic moment for Croatian water polo, the women’s senior national team has, for the first time ever, qualified for the FINA World Aquatics Championships.

The tournament will take place this July in Singapore, and for the first time in history, both the men’s and women’s teams from Croatia will compete on the world stage.

The confirmation came after the recent Women’s Water Polo World Cup in Chengdu, China.

Although the final matches are yet to be played, the teams that have secured their spots in Singapore are already known.

(Photo: HVS)

Greece, Hungary and Italy clinched their qualification through the tournament in Chengdu.

From the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, the top three women’s teams – Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands – have also qualified for Singapore.

Since five European teams had already secured their spots, this opened up three more places for European nations based on performances at the European Championships held in Eindhoven earlier this year.

(Photo: HVS)

Croatia, along with France and Great Britain, earned those coveted spots thanks to their rankings (6th to 8th) in the tournament in the Netherlands.

There was also some nail-biting tension during the World Cup in China. For Croatia to qualify, it was important that Asian teams didn’t take additional spots.

That pressure eased when Italy defeated Japan 26–17, and Australia narrowly overcame China 16–14, closing the door for further Asian qualifications.

Head coach Mia Šimunić couldn’t hide her excitement at the news.

“This is such a wonderful piece of news for women’s water polo in Croatia. Opportunities are opening up, and qualifying for the World Championships is like the best Easter present we could ask for,” Šimunić said.

She added that the team had hoped for this outcome even before the World Cup began.

(Photo: HVS)

“We had a feeling it could go our way, knowing that Italy and Australia were stronger than Japan and China. But you never know until it happens… and now it has!”

The national women’s team that will compete in Singapore will closely resemble the U20 squad that’s also set to compete at the World U20 Championships in Brazil just two weeks later. Coach Šimunić noted that there will be a mix of young talent and experienced players such as Mateja Skelin, Nina Eterović, and Natasha Trojan.

“There’s a lot of work ahead, strong preparations are key. But this gives us huge motivation,” she said.

The draw for both the men’s and women’s water polo groups at the World Championships will be held on 7 May in Budapest.