Courtesy: FINA
LAUSANNE (SUI) – The Water Polo World Cup, formerly known as the World League, will feature two qualification tournaments for men and women then the Super Final.
The new World Cup format will consist of two levels – with the top twelve men’s and top eight women’s teams in “Division 1”, whereas “Division 2” will be open to any team from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia & Oceania. Six teams from division one and two teams from division two can earn their spots in the Super Final through two qualification tournaments.
FINA Executive Director, Brent Nowicki, said: “We are confident that the World Cup will bring exciting new engagement for teams and fans. The new format for this World Cup is poised to bring this dynamic team sport to new heights. Finalising the calendar to allow our teams time to start planning their participation has been a priority. We have worked closely with European Aquatics (LEN) leadership to make sure these dates respect the existing water polo calendars and avoid major conflicts. We look forward to announcing more details about the World Cup, and the world-class cities which will host the events, in the near future.”
The 2023 event calendar for the World Cup will be as follows:
Men
- 18-22 April 2023: Qualification Tournament 1
- 2-6 May 2023: Qualification Tournament 2
- 30 June – 2 July 2023: Super Final
Women
- 14-16 April 2023: Qualification Tournament 1
- 28-30 April 2023: Qualification Tournament 2
- 23-25 June 2023: Super Final
The dates for the men’s and women’s 20 and under water polo events in 2023, have also been confirmed. The men’s event will take place between 10-18 June 2023 and the women’s between 14-20 August 2023.
FINA is now considering locations for each of the events and host cities will be announced once confirmed.
