The Greek Men’s National Water Polo team celebrated its qualification for the World Cup Final Four. Just 24 hours after their historic comeback victory against Serbia, the “Galanolefki” defeated the Netherlands 14-11 at the “Dimosthenis Michalentzakis” Swimming Center in Alexandroupoli. This victory secured 2nd place in Group A during the final round of the World Cup qualifiers.
With this result, the national squad has punched its ticket to the tournament’s final phase in Sydney, Australia (July 20-26, 2026), while also advancing to the Division 1 Final Four and the Super Finals, scheduled for April 9-12.
Match breakdown
First Quarter: The game opened at a high tempo. Greece found success through man-up advantages, with Argyropoulos opening the scoring. After a back-and-forth battle, a penalty by Argyropoulos and a late goal by Papanastasiou allowed Greece to end the period leading 4-3.
Second Quarter: Greece extended their lead to 6-3 thanks to Kalogeropoulos and the relentless Argyropoulos. Although the Dutch side narrowed the gap to 6-5, goals from Spachits (confirmed via VAR) and Argyropoulos kept Greece ahead. The half ended 8-7 in favor of Greece.
Third Quarter: The intensity rose as the Netherlands briefly took a 9-8 lead. However, Greece responded immediately. Kalogeropoulos equalized before Nikolaidis restored the lead (10-9) during a power play. Zerdevas made crucial saves to keep Greece ahead going into the final stretch.
Fourth Quarter: After the Dutch equalized at 10-10, Argyropoulos and Kakaris pulled Greece ahead once more. Skoumpakis netted a decisive goal with two minutes remaining, and Argyropoulos sealed the 14-11 win with a long-range strike into an empty net.
Quarter Scores: 3-4, 4-4, 2-2, 2-4.
Related: Greece Sinks Italy to Claim Bronze in the Water Polo European Championship