A New Kind of Water Polo Comes to Dubrovnik
From 31 August to 6 September 2026, Dubrovnik will host the inaugural World Aquatics Water Polo 4 x 4 Open Championships.
The competition will bring a new, faster form of water polo to the historic Old City Harbour. Water Polo 4 x 4 features four players per team, a smaller playing area and a shorter shot clock, creating a quick and exciting game designed for open-water and urban settings.
Dubrovnik provides a spectacular setting for its international debut. The city has a long relationship with water polo, including the famous Divlja liga — the amateur “Wild League” traditionally played by local teams during the summer.
Croatia Welcomes The World
The championships will bring together 26 men’s and women’s teams from five continents: 18 in the men’s competition and eight in the women’s. Croatia will compete in both.
The preliminary matches begin on Monday 31 August, followed by the knockout and placement stages later in the week. The men’s and women’s finals will take place on Sunday 6 September.
Matches will be played in the Old City Harbour, beneath Dubrovnik’s historic walls and Fort St John. The competition can also be watched live and on demand through World Aquatics.
The ancient city walls make an amazing and contrasting setting for one of the world’s newest sporting formats.
Useful Croatian Water Polo Words And Phrases
vaterpolo — water polo
vaterpolska utakmica — water-polo match
igrač / igračica — male player / female player
momčad — team
reprezentacija — national team
gol — goal
pobjeda — victory
finale — final
Tko danas igra? — Who is playing today?
Koji je rezultat? — What is the score?
Navijamo za Hrvatsku! — We are supporting Croatia!
Idemo, Hrvatska! — Come on, Croatia!
Sretno, Hrvatska! — Good luck, Croatia!
Follow the championships
Thanks to AI for some help with a generic image generation
