Doha, Qatar, February 18, 2024: The draw was made for the men’s and women’s water polo competitions at the Paris Olympic Games on the sidelines of the World Aquatics Championships – Doha 2024 on Saturday, February 17.
In Doha, Croatia and the United States took home the world championship titles in the men’s and women’s tournaments, respectively.
The USA women head into Paris 2024 looking for their fourth consecutive Olympic title, while the Croatia men’s team – winners at the London 2012 Olympics – look to improve on their fifth-place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Serbia heads into Paris as the two-time defending Olympics champions in men’s water polo.
With the World Aquatics Championships in the Qatari capital serving as the final pathway to qualify for the Paris 2024 Games, the following countries will play at the upcoming Olympics.
Men (12 teams): Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Spain, United States, Australia, Japan, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Montenegro, France.
Women (10 teams): Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Australia, Hungary, Italy, United States, China, Canada, France.
The Paris 2024 water polo tournament will be held between August 5-11. Preliminary matches will be played at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, a permanent venue which will provide aquatic sports opportunities long after the Games.
Later rounds, including the finals, will be held at the Paris La Défense Arena – a major multisport arena that will be transformed into an aquatics venue for the first time this summer.
During the draw ceremony, World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam said: “Every athlete knows that success here at the World Aquatics Championships is the golden ticket to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“We look forward to what will be a global celebration of sport, with fans packing out venues and tuning in from around the globe to witness the world’s best aquatics athletes. I am grateful for the excellent collaboration with the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, and I eagerly await the displays of sporting excellence on the world stage this summer.”
In the women’s event, China have been drawn in Group A with Hungary, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.
In the men’s event, Japan have been drawn into Group B with Australia, Serbia, France, Hungary and Spain.
(World Aquatics)
