The 2026 Men's European U-20 Water Polo Championship Division I was the inaugural edition of the second tier of the Men's European U-20 Water Polo Championship, organized by Europe's governing aquatics body, European Aquatics. The tournament was played in Oeiras, Portugal, from 10 to 16 August 2026. Starting this edition, the age level has changed from U19 to U20.
Oeiras in Portugal was given the hosting rights.
12 teams participated in the tournament. For the first time, a promotion and relegation system was used for the competition. Russia secured the title with a victory over Israel in the final, 13–9. Both these teams promoted to the 2028 Men's European U-20 Water Polo Championship Elite Division.
Format The 12 teams were drawn into two groups of six teams. The top two teams from each group advanced to the semifinals; the third- and fourth-placed teams advanced to the 5th–8th place playoffs; the other teams were dropped to the 9th–12th place playoffs. In each of these playoff sections, two semifinal matches and two final placement matches were played.
Participating teams No qualification round took place; the 16 teams that took part in the 2024 championship automatically qualified for the Elite Division, while the remaining registered teams competed in this newly formed Division I.
Belarus and Russia returned to competition after their ban was lifted. In official statistics, the Belarussian team was listed as "Neutral Athletes A" and the Russian team as "Neutral Athletes B".
Draw The draw took place on 16 February 2026 at the European Aquatics Water Polo Office in Zagreb, Croatia.https://europeanaquatics.org/draw-details-for-mens-and-womens-2026-european-u20-water-polo-championships/https://total-waterpolo.com/draws-for-european-u20-championships-in-bulgaria-and-portugal/
Group stage Group A
Group B
9th–12th place playoffs
5th–8th place playoffs
Championship playoffs
Final standings RankTeam456789101112 Promoted to the 2028 Men's European U-20 Water Polo Championship Elite Division
References
External links
Official website