2024 Olympic Water Polo: Men’s Group Play Round-Up (Through Day 8)

2024 PARIS SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES

With group-play almost wrapping up on the men’s side in Paris, we now know who will be moving on to the remaining rounds of the water polo tournament.

Group A Recap

Through the end of day 8 in Paris (8/3), Italy has a stronghold over Group A, holding a 4-0 record in group-play and a total of 11 points. Greece and Croatia currently both hold a 3-1 record, but Croatia holds the tie-breaker due to their 14-13 victory over Greece. The United States ranks fourth in the group with a 2-2 record. All four teams will be moving on to the semi-finals, with Montenegro (0-4) and Romania (0-4) failing to make it through.

Group A Standings:

Rank Team Wins Losses Points
1 Italy 4 0 11
2 Croatia 3 1 9
3 Greece 3 1 8
4 United States 2 2 6
5 Montenegro 0 4 2
6 Romania 0 4 0

Group A Results:

  • Sunday, July 28
    • Croatia 11, Montenegro 8
    • Italy 12, USA 8
    • Greece 14, Romania 7
  • Tuesday, July 30
    • Italy 14, Croatia 11
    • USA 14, Romania 8
    • Greece 17, Montenegro 16
  • Thursday, August 1
    • Greece 13, USA 11
    • Italy 11, Montenegro 9
    • Croatia 11, Romania 8
  • Saturday, August 3
    • Croatia 14, Greece 13
    • USA 12, Montenegro 7
    • Italy 18, Romania 7

Group B Recap

In group B, Spain currently holds the top seed with a 4-0 record and 12 points. Meanwhile, Australia holds the second seed with a 3-1 record in group-play. Hungary and Serbia are each tied with a 2-2 record for the final two spots in the semi-finals. Based on points, the two teams are completely tied, with their seeding being decided based on their head-to-head match-up on Monday. Host nation France and Japan have both been eliminated from the semi-finals, with France holding a 1-3 record and Japan having a 0-4 record.

Group B Standings:

Rank Team Wins Losses Points
1 Spain 4 0 12
2 Australia 3 1 9
3 Hungary 2 2 6
4 Serbia 2 2 6
5 France 1 3 3
6 Japan 0 4 0

Group B Results:

  • Sunday, July 28
    • Serbia 16, Japan 15
    • Spain 9, Australia 5
    • Hungary 13, France 12
  • Tuesday, July 30
    • Australia 8, Serbia 3
    • France 14, Japan 13
    • Spain 10, Hungary 7
  • Thursday, August 1
    • Spain 15, Serbia 11
    • Australia 9, France 8
    • Hungary 17, Japan 10
  • Saturday, August 3
    • Spain 23, Japan 8
    • Australia 9, Hungary 8
    • Serbia 15, France 8

Remaining Games and Semi-Finals Seeding

With the semi-finalists already determined with one more day remaining in group-play, the rest of the games will determine seeding for the semi-finals rounds. Spain is guarenteed the top seed in Group B based on the team’s record. As the top seed, Spain will take on the 4th seed in Group A, which will likely be the United States, though that is not certain yet. If the US wins its game against Croatia on Monday, the Americans would be tied with Croatia at a 3-2 record and hold the tie-breaker.

Likewise, Australia is guarenteed the 2nd seed in Group B and will take on the 3rd seed in Group A, likely to be determined based on the situation above.

Currently, Italy’s top seed in group A is not confirmed. However, in order to maintain that seed, the team must win against Greece on Monday. If Greece wins, they have a chance to sneak into the top seed as both teams would have 4-1 records. However, Italy would still hold the lead in points over Greece in that situation. The top seed in Group A will take on the 4th seed from Group B, which will be the loser of the Serbia-Hungary match.

Remaining Games (Schedule)

  • Monday, August 5:
    • Hungary v. Serbia
    • Australia v. Japan
    • Greece v. Italy
    • Croatia v. USA
    • France v. Spain
    • Romania v. Montenegro

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Greg
4 hours ago

I think the next round is the quarterfinals not the semifinals.

JimSwim22
4 hours ago

How do you get different numbers of points for a win?

Adelylt
Reply to  JimSwim22
2 hours ago

Margin of victory, if I’m not wrong – just like in volleyball.

About Nicole Miller

Nicole Miller

Nicole has been with SwimSwam since April 2020, as both a reporter and social media contributor. Prior to joining the SwimSwam platform, Nicole also managed a successful Instagram platform, amassing over 20,000 followers. Currently, Nicole is pursuing her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. After competing for the swim …

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