Percussion polo: Russian water polo players will play with the strongest national teams at the World Cup

In April, the Russian women's national team won the second division of the World Cup and won a ticket to the final stage of the tournament, which will be held in Sydney from July 22 to 26. In the quarterfinals, the Russians will face one of the strongest teams in the world, the Dutch national team. The match will take place on Wednesday, July 22. The maximum goal is to get into the top three winners and win a ticket to the 2027 World Aquatics Championships, although it will not be easy to do so.

Checking with the second rating number

Water polo has become the first team sport in which Russia is not only allowed to participate in international competitions, but also performs in a full—fledged status with national symbols. The women's national team became the first to compete without any restrictions in the second division of the World Cup in Malta at the end of April.

Before the sanctions were imposed in 2022, our girls were regularly among the winners of the World League, European Championships, Olympic Games, Cup and World Championships. At the main start of the quadrennial, the Russians took bronze in 2000 and 2016, and at the 2020 Games they took fourth place, losing in the semifinals to the USA, and in the bronze medal match to Hungary. Many players from that Olympic team are still in the ranks. Plus, a strong generation of young water polo players has grown up, who have shown their skills not only in the Russian championship, but also in friendly matches with top national teams. Therefore, in the second division of the World Cup, where we got due to the lack of ranking points, it was decided with which score Russia would beat everyone.

In Malta, our girls scored a number of crushing victories and faced problems only in the final match with China, winning it with a score of 18:17. This allowed him to get a ticket to the elite division for the next year and compete in the final stage of the World Cup in Australia.

The World Cup final is one of the opportunities to get to the 2027 World Aquatics Championships, which will be held in Budapest. To do this, you need to get into the top three teams at the end of the tournament in Sydney. In addition to us and the hosts, teams from the USA, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Hungary and China will play in the tournament.

The tournament begins with the quarterfinal stage, where each game is decisive. The first opponent for our girls will be the Dutch national team — European champions in 2026, Olympic bronze medalists in 2024, and world champions in 2023. They currently occupy the second place in the world ranking.

"We are hungry for the games and the atmosphere of the big tournament"

Ekaterina Prokofieva, captain of the water polo team, talks about the selection for the World Cup, the popularity of water polo and the 90s in Volgodonsk

Feel the level

The Russian team consists of a balance of experience and youth. A number of players participated at the adult international level for the first time this year, while many of them won the junior world and European championships even before the Russian team was suspended, for example, goalkeeper Diana Khamraeva and the author of the winning goal in the second division final Daria Savchenko. There are also experienced players in the squad who impart confidence and skills to young water polo players, such as 2016 Olympic medalists Ekaterina Prokofieva and Olga Lupinogina.

"We understand perfectly well that it will not be easy after four years without matches at this level," Ekaterina Prokofieva, captain of the Russian national team, told Izvestia. — You can watch water polo on TV and say: yes, in general, it has not changed much! But that's the theory. And when you step into the water, you will understand in practice what has happened in four years. You need to experience this for yourself. It was difficult to understand this from the second division. On the other hand, we are hungry for games and the atmosphere of a big tournament. For many, he is the first, the first opportunity to prove himself. Someone can handle it, someone can't — this is life. But everyone wants to try! That's why we've done a great job of training camps and are ready to prove ourselves at the World Cup. We've been waiting for this opportunity for too long.

The head coach of the team, Sergey Markoch, said that the team arrived in Australia with a slight delay due to flight delays.

— We missed the training session, but we got enough sleep, — Sergey Markoch noted. — The conditions and weather in Sydney are amazing. The best water polo players in the world gathered here. To plunge into such an atmosphere is happiness. We've been waiting for this day for five years, and it's here. We have the opportunity to show the Russian water polo school against the best teams in the world. We managed to have a sparring match with Italy in the game pool. The team is well prepared functionally after a long flight, which is encouraging.

In case of a victory over the Dutch national team, our girls will play in the semifinals with the winner of the Spain – Hungary match.

The final game will take place on July 26.

The composition of the Russian women's water polo team for the final stage of the 2026 World Cup:

Goalkeepers: Diana Khamraeva, Elvira Karnaukh.

Field players: Maria Makarova, Ekaterina Prokofieva (team captain), Margarita Pystina, Daria Savchenko, Polina Popova, Anna Arbuzova, Olga Lupinogina, Victoria Guskova, Anisa Sharafutdinova, Bella Markoch, Vladislava Nechaeva, Anastasia Adikova, Daria Klyueva.