Water polo at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships – Women's tournament facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Qatar |
| Dates | 4–16 February |
| Teams | 16 (from 5 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | Aspire Dome (in Doha host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  United States (8th title) |
| Runner-up |  Hungary |
| Third place |  Spain |
| Fourth place |  Greece |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches | 48 |
| Goals scored | 1163 (24.23 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Morgan McDowall(31 goals) |
| Best player | Rita Keszthelyi |
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The women's water polo tournament at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships was an exciting event held from February 4 to 16, 2024, in Doha, Qatar. This was the 17th time that women's water polo teams competed at the World Aquatics Championships, a tradition that started in 1986.
The United States team showed amazing skill and teamwork, winning their eighth championship title in this event.
Contents
Teams and How They Qualified
Sixteen teams from all over the world competed in this tournament. Many of these teams had also played in the 2023 World Championships.
Some teams made a special return or debut:
- Singapore played in the tournament for the very first time. They replaced Japan, who had to withdraw.
- Great Britain returned after an eleven-year break.
- Brazil also qualified again after not participating in 2023.
Teams earned their spots through different events held in 2023 and early 2024. These events included the World Cup, the previous World Championships, and continental games like the Asian Games and Pan American Games.
Tournament Schedule
The tournament took place over several days, with matches starting in the morning. Here's a quick look at the main schedule:
| Date | Time | Round |
|---|---|---|
| 4, 6, 8 February 2024 | 09:00 | Preliminary round |
| 10 February 2024 | 09:00 | Play-offs/Placement matches |
| 12 February 2024 | 09:00 | Quarterfinals/Placement matches |
| 14 February 2024 | 09:00 | Semifinals/Placement matches |
| 16 February 2024 | 10:00 | Finals |
How Teams Were Grouped
Before the games began, a draw was held on November 7, 2023, to decide which teams would play in each group during the first round. Teams were placed into four different "pots" based on their rankings, making sure the groups were fair.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands Spain Italy Australia |
United States Hungary Greece Canada |
 France Great Britain Brazil New Zealand |
 China Kazakhstan Singapore South Africa |
Preliminary Round: Group Stage
The tournament started with a preliminary round where the 16 teams were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D). Each team played against every other team in their group. The goal was to earn points and finish high in their group to move on to the next stages.
Group A Highlights
The USA dominated Group A, winning all their matches. The Netherlands also played well, securing second place.
- USA vs. Netherlands: The USA won a close match against the Netherlands with a score of 10-8.
- Netherlands vs. Kazakhstan: The Netherlands showed their strength with a big 27-4 win over Kazakhstan.
- USA vs. Brazil: The USA continued their strong performance, beating Brazil 21-5.
Group B Highlights
Spain was the top team in Group B, winning all their games. Greece finished second.
- China vs. Spain: Spain started strong, defeating China 18-5.
- Greece vs. France: Greece won their match against France 11-6.
- Spain vs. Greece: Spain secured their top spot by beating Greece 16-8.
Group C Highlights
Hungary was the clear winner in Group C, with Australia coming in second.
- Australia vs. Singapore: Australia had a huge win against Singapore, 32-1.
- Hungary vs. New Zealand: Hungary defeated New Zealand 19-8.
- Hungary vs. Australia: Hungary won a key match against Australia 13-9, showing their strength.
Group D Highlights
Italy led Group D, winning all their matches. Canada secured second place.
- Great Britain vs. Italy: Italy started with a strong 22-10 win over Great Britain.
- South Africa vs. Canada: Canada had a dominant performance, beating South Africa 24-2.
- Italy vs. Canada: Italy won a closer game against Canada 12-8 to secure first place in the group.
Knockout Stage: The Road to the Finals
After the preliminary round, teams moved into the knockout stage. This meant that if a team lost, they were out of the running for the championship title. There were also games to decide the final rankings for all 16 teams.
Playoffs
Teams that finished second and third in their groups played in the playoffs to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
- Netherlands vs. China: The Netherlands won a tight game against China, 16-14.
- Kazakhstan vs. Greece: Greece had a big win over Kazakhstan, 24-5.
- Australia vs. Great Britain: Australia defeated Great Britain 20-8.
- New Zealand vs. Canada: Canada won a close match against New Zealand, 14-12.
Quarterfinals
The winners of the playoffs joined the top teams from each group in the quarterfinals. These were intense matches!
- USA vs. Australia: The USA won a very close game against Australia, 10-9, to move on.
- Spain vs. Canada: Spain defeated Canada 12-9.
- Hungary vs. Netherlands: Hungary won a thrilling match against the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after the game ended 8-8.
- Italy vs. Greece: Greece won a high-scoring game against Italy, 14-12.
Semifinals
The four winning teams from the quarterfinals battled it out in the semifinals.
- USA vs. Spain: The USA continued their winning streak, beating Spain 11-9.
- Hungary vs. Greece: Hungary also won their semifinal in a penalty shootout against Greece, after the score was tied 9-9.
Bronze Medal Game
The teams that lost in the semifinals played for the bronze medal.
- Spain vs. Greece: Spain won the bronze medal, defeating Greece 10-9 in a very close match.
Final Match: USA vs. Hungary
The championship final was a highly anticipated game between the USA and Hungary.
- USA vs. Hungary: The United States team won the gold medal, defeating Hungary 8-7 in a thrilling final match. This marked their eighth overall title, showing their dominance in women's water polo.
Final Rankings
Here's how all the teams finished in the tournament:
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Top Players and Awards
Many players showed incredible talent throughout the tournament. Here are some of the top performers and special awards given out on February 16, 2024:
Top Goalscorers
These players scored the most goals during the competition:
| Rank | Name | Goals | Shots | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan McDowall |
31 | 42 | 74 |
| 2 | Eirini Ninou |
24 | 37 | 65 |
| 3 | Rita Keszthelyi |
20 | 37 | 54 |
| 4 | Kitty-Lynn Joustra |
19 | 19 | 100 |
| 5 | Emmerson Houghton |
18 | 47 | 38 |
| 6 | Gréta Gurisatti |
17 | 33 | 52 |
| Simone van de Kraats |
25 | 68 | ||
| Alice Williams |
32 | 53 | ||
| 9 | Roberta Bianconi |
16 | 33 | 48 |
| Sofia Giustini |
27 | 59 | ||
| Zhang Jing |
31 | 52 |
Special Awards
- Most Valuable Player: Rita Keszthelyi from Hungary was named the best player of the tournament.
- Best Goalkeeper: Ashleigh Johnson from the USA received the award for the best goalkeeper.
An All-Star team was also chosen, featuring the top players in each position:
| All-star team | |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Ashleigh Johnson |
| Centre Forward | Maica García |
| Field player | Jenna Flynn |
| Rita Keszthelyi |
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| Morgan McDowall |
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| Eleftheria Plevritou |
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| Simone van de Kraats |
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