The 2026 World Aquatics Women's Water Polo World Cup was the 20th season of the event. It ran from 21 April to 26 July 2026. The super final was held in Sydney, Australia.
The United States won their sixth title, with a win over Spain. The top three teams qualified for the women's water polo tournament of the 2027 World Aquatics Championships.
Format There were two divisions. The top-five teams of Division 1 and the top-two teams from Division 2, together with the host Australia, competed in the super final. A win gave a team three points, a win after penalties two, a loss after penalties one and a loss after regular time zero points.
Division 1
Division 1 was held in Rotterdam, Netherlands between 1 and 6 May 2026.
The teams were split into two pools of four teams, with the top two-teams forming a new group, same with the bottom two-teams. The top five teams advanced to the super final.
All times are local (UTC+2).
Preliminary round Group A
Group B
Second round Group C
Group D
Division 2
The Division 2 tournament was held in Msida, Malta, between 21 and 26 April 2026.
The teams were sorted in one league phase, playing three games based on ranking. The top 8 teams of the standings advanced to the knockout stage, where the top-two teams qualified for the super final.
All times are (UTC+2).
League phase Teams are ranked by average Tournament Performance Index (TPI) points, calculated using the margin of victory/defeat and the strength of opposition, before the other tiebreakers are used.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Final phase Bracket
Fifth place bracket
Ninth place bracket
13th place bracket
9–15th place quarterfinals
Quarterfinals
13–15th place semifinal
9–12th place semifinals
5–8th place semifinals
Semifinals
13th place game
Eleventh place game
Ninth place game
Seventh place game
Fifth place game
Third place game
Final
Super final
The tournament took place between 22 and 26 July 2026 in Sydney, Australia.
Bracket
Fifth place bracket
All times are local (UTC+10).
Quarterfinals
5–8th place semifinals
Semifinals
Seventh place game
Fifth place game
Third place game
Final
Final standings RankTeam 4 5 6 7 8
The United States, Spain and Australia qualified for the 2027 World Championship.
Awards The following individual awards were announced by World Aquatics following the Super Final:
Award Recipient Most valuable player Matilda Kearns Best goalkeeper Amanda Longan Best defender Paula Crespí
See also 2026 World Aquatics Men's Water Polo World Cup
References
External links Results Book – Super final Results Book – Division 1 Results Book – Division 2