History of European Water Polo Championships

33rd European Championship – Barcelona (Spain) 2018 In Catalonia after 48 yearsAlthough everyone in water polo is under the impression that major tournaments and games are very often held in Barcelona, the 2018 European Championships were held in Barcelona for the first time in 48 years! After 1970, one Olympics (1992), two World Championships (2003 and 2013), and a few

31st European Championship – Budapest (Hungary) 2014 The capital of Water poloThe Hungarian capital hosted the competition of the best European teams for the fourth time, which only reinforced Budapest’s position as the capital of water polo. No one has hosted the championships so many times before, and history will bring the European Championships to the same city again six

29th European Championship – Zagreb (Croatia) 2010 Croats on the throne for the first timeFor the first time since the declaration of independence and for the second time overall (after Split in 1981), Croatia hosted the competition of the best national teams of the Old Continent. The hosts, the Croatian national team, won the title of European champions for the

27th European Championship – Belgrade (Serbia) 2006 Return to even years Three years have passed between the last European Championships in Kranj and the new one in Belgrade. LEN has decided to hold the European Championships in even years again, as was the case until Vienna in 1974. Host changed, but remained the same The 27th European Championship was hosted

25th European Championship – Budapest (Hungary) 2001 Domination of the BalkansThis championship in the Hungarian capital, the first European championship in the new century and millennium, marks the beginning of a long period of domination by teams from south-eastern Europe, i.e. from the territory of the former Yugoslavia. In fact, from 2001 to 2018, all subsequent European Championship titles have

23rd European Championship – Seville (Spain) 1997 The hottest championshipAfter the cold Sheffield ’93 and slightly warmer Vienna ’95, the European Championship in the capital of Andalusia is still remembered as a competition with the highest air temperatures, very often around 40 degrees. This is not unusual for this part of Spain. The best Manuel EstiarteThe great El Manel or

21st European Championship – Sheffield (England) 1993 Back on the island After 55 years (London 1938), water polo returned to its cradle, the British Isles. The city, once an iron factory and now a major university centre, hosted the best aquatic athletes including water polo players from all over Europe, but in very cold, rainy, and typically English weather, although

19th European Championship – Bonn (Germany) 1989 “Golden Goal” in the finalThe so-called “Golden Goal” rule was introduced in water polo after the final of the World Aquatics Championships in Madrid, which was extended eight times. Thus, a rule was developed that, in case of a tie, extra time is played until the first team scores a goal. Therefore, this

17th European Championship – Sofia (Bulgaria) and Oslo (Norway) 1985 Advance to the EastThe tournament in the Bulgarian capital lasted from 4 to 11 August. Sofia went down in history as the easternmost city ever to host the European Championships. A little later, it will be slightly surpassed by Athens. Before bidding to host this European Championship, Sofia had 7

15th European Championship – Split (Croatia) 1981 Change of rulesThe water polo tournament in Split was the first European Championship to be held according to the new rules. 7-minute quarters were introduced, and it was allowed to have 13 players on the team, not 11 as before. This clearly allowed coaches to make more frequent changes, and the game became

13th European Championship – Vienna (Austria) 1974 Separate pool for water polo The European Championships took place in the very centre of Vienna, in the Stadionbad. To this day, an extremely popular venue with about 10 pools of different sizes, water slides, and various attractions. Each water sport was allocated its own pool at this European Championship, so for the