Greece’s strong run in the 2026 European Water Polo Championship continued with a 15-13 win over Italy, which confirmed them their first qualification to the semi-finals since 2016.
The Greeks defeated the Italians on Tuesday morning (AEDT) in their fifth straight win at the competition, ensuring a first-place finish in Group F and mathematically confirming a semi-finals spot.
Coach Thodoris Vlachos expressed great joy for his team’s performance, noting their strong display even without some key players which he says is indicative of their quality as a team.
“One of our main goals was to qualify for the top four. With the new format of the standings, qualification depends entirely on us and that makes us very happy,” said coach Thodoris Vlachos to media after the Italy match.
“We are showing that we deserve to be in the top four teams in Europe and to claim a medal.”
Greece will close out the group stage with their last match against Romania on Thursday 22 January (AEDT), which will serve mostly as a warm-up ahead of their semi-final on Saturday 24 January.
The Greek side will take on the runner-up in Group E, with possible opponents being Spain or Hungary, a game Vlachos says they are already preparing for mentally.
“We are already starting to think about our next opponent. Tomorrow we will find out who it will be, either Spain or Hungary. It all has to do with how we perform and how focused we are. We will do everything to win the next game as well.”