Total Domination: Croatia Crowned European Champions!
Croatia's U20 water polo team clinched gold in Varna with a 17:14 victory over Spain, completing a golden hat-trick following world titles in younger age groups.
Croatia's U20 water polo team clinched gold in Varna with a 17:14 victory over Spain, completing a golden hat-trick following world titles in younger age groups.
Croatia's U20 water polo team has won the European Championship title. In the final held on August 16, 2026, at the Primorski Swimming Pool in Varna, Croatia defeated Spain 17:14 (5:3, 2:4, 5:6, 2:4) in front of 700 spectators.
Spain opened the match better and took a 3:1 lead, while Croatia struggled with penalty conversions. Šušić hit the crossbar, and the first quarter ended 5:3 in favor of Spain. Early in the second period, the Spaniards extended their lead to 6:3, but then Croatia woke up.
Three consecutive goals, courtesy of Žilić, Burburan from a penalty, and Dragaš from the right wing, brought the score level at 6:6. With the buzzer sounding, Šušić scored to make it 7:7 at halftime. Goalkeeper Špilar played a key role, recording five saves in the second quarter.
In the second half, Croatia took the lead for the first time. Dragošević drew a penalty, and Jerković converted for 8:7. Dragaš extended the lead to 9:7, and Burburan made it 10:8. Spain fought back to 10:10, but Skejić punished goalkeeper Pina's advance with a lob for 11:10, and goals from Šušić and Burburan gave Croatia a 13:12 lead heading into the final quarter.
Four minutes before the end, Croatia earned a penalty drawn by Dragaš, but Jerković's shot was saved by Pina. Tončinić then drew another penalty, and captain Šušić converted for 14:12 (3:37 remaining). A combined counter-attack by Jerković and Šušić made it 15:12, and Tončinić scored with a screw shot from five meters to extend the lead to 16:12 (1:53 remaining). Burburan sealed the win with a final goal for 17:13.
With this title, Croatia completed a golden hat-trick. This summer, they won world gold in the U16 and U18 categories, and now European gold in the U20 category. A significant part of this generation won the U19 European Championship title in Burgos two years ago.
Center Viktor Tončinić was named the best player of the World Championship. Head coach Zoran Bajić highlighted his team's mental toughness.
"The boys truly got better and better from match to match, especially from the quarterfinals onward. In the final, we showed mental toughness, which is no small feat. Because it's not easy when you're trailing Spain by two, and at one point three goals. We kept catching up, 'chasing,' then overtook them and made them feel the pressure, as they say. We gained confidence and self-assurance, showed seriousness and mental stability, and hats off to the boys for that."
Tončinić added that the victory over Serbia in the quarterfinals was a key moment that showed them they could go all the way.
"I'm not even fully aware of what we've achieved yet. Our start to the tournament was a bit shaky; we dipped a little. I'm talking about the group stage, but we knew we had quality and character. We also had great coaches who believed in us the whole time, from start to finish. So we faced Serbia in the quarterfinals, and that win showed us we could go all the way. Once we got that, I realized we could go all the way. Our unity pushed us to the end, to the top of Europe."
