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Water polo at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships – Men's tournament facts for kids

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Water polo at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships – Men's tournament
Tournament details
Host country  Japan
Dates 17–29 July
Teams 16 (from 5 confederations)
Venue(s) Marine Messe, Fukuoka
Final positions
Champions  Hungary (4th title)
Runner-up  Greece
Third place  Spain
Fourth place  Serbia
Tournament statistics
Matches 48
Goals scored 1177 (24.52 per match)
Top scorer(s) Strahinja Rašović
(25 goals)
Best player Gergő Zalánki
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The men's water polo tournament at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships was a big event held from July 17 to 29, 2023. This was the 20th time this exciting men's water polo competition had taken place. The first one was in 1973.

Hungary won their fourth championship title! They played against Greece in the final game and won.

Teams and How They Qualified

Sixteen teams from around the world competed in this water polo tournament. Teams had to qualify through different events to earn their spot.

How Teams Got to Play

  • Host Nation: Japan automatically qualified because they were hosting the event.
  • 2022 World League: Two teams, Italy and the United States, qualified from this league.
  • 2022 World Championships: Four teams earned their spots here: Spain, Greece, Croatia, and Serbia.
  • 2022 European Championship: Hungary, France, and Montenegro qualified from this championship.
  • 2022 Asian Championship: China and Kazakhstan made it through the Asian championship.
  • 2023 Pan American Championships: Canada and Argentina qualified from this event. Brazil was supposed to play but had to withdraw, so Argentina took their place.
  • Wildcards: South Africa and Australia received special invitations to join the tournament.

Groups and Teams

Before the games started, the 16 teams were divided into four groups, A, B, C, and D. This was done in a special draw on April 18, 2023. Teams were placed into different "pots" based on their past performance to make the groups fair.

Teams in Each Group

First Round Games

The first part of the tournament was called the "Preliminary Round." Teams in each group played against each other. The goal was to finish high in their group to move on to the next stage. All game times were local to Japan (UTC+9).

Group A Results

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.

Group B Results

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.

Group C Results

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.

Group D Results

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head number of goals scored; 5) Goal difference.

Knockout Games: The Finals Begin!

After the group stage, the top teams moved into the knockout rounds. This meant if a team lost, they were out of the running for the championship.

Playoff Games

These games decided which teams would move on to the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals: Top 8 Teams Battle It Out

The winners of the playoffs joined the top teams from each group in the quarterfinals.

Semifinals: Who Goes for Gold?

The winners of the quarterfinals played in the semifinals to decide who would play in the final.

Bronze Medal Game

The teams that lost in the semifinals played for the third-place bronze medal.

  • July 29: Spain beat Serbia 9–6 to win the bronze medal.

The Grand Final: Gold Medal Match

The two best teams, Greece and Hungary, played for the gold medal.

  • July 29: Hungary won the final against Greece 14–13 after a penalty shootout! It was an incredibly exciting game that went down to the wire.

Final Standings

Here's how all the teams finished in the tournament:

Top Players and Awards

Some players really stood out during the tournament!

Who Scored the Most Goals?

The player who scored the most goals was Strahinja Rašović from Serbia. He scored an amazing 25 goals!

Rank Name Goals Shots %
1 Strahinja Rašović 25 45 56
2 Hannes Daube 22 48 46
3 Nikola Jakšić 20 43 47
4 Gergő Zalánki 19 36 53
5 Konstantinos Genidounias 18 39 46
Đuro Radović 35 51
7 Francesco Di Fulvio 17 34 50
Yusuke Inaba 45 38
9 Ugo Crousillat 16 34 47
Taiyo Watanabe 33 48

Special Awards for Players

At the end of the tournament, special awards were given to the best players.

  • Most Valuable Player (MVP): Gergő Zalánki from Hungary was named the best player of the tournament.
  • Best Goalkeeper: Emmanouil Zerdevas from Greece was recognized as the top goalkeeper.
All-star team
Goalkeeper Emmanouil Zerdevas
Field player Hannes Daube
Krisztián Manhercz
Alexandros Papanastasiou
Felipe Perrone
Strahinja Rašović
Gergő Zalánki
Other awards
MVP Gergő Zalánki
Best goalkeeper Emmanouil Zerdevas
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