Greece’s men’s national water polo team won the World Cup gold medal for the first time, defeating Hungary 15–14 in the final held in Sydney.
It was the team’s sixth appearance in a major final, having reached two World Cup finals (1997 and 2025), one Mediterranean Games final (2018), one Olympic Games final (2021) and one World Championship final (2023).
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated the national team, saying: “Thodoris Vlachos and his players showed what passion, perseverance and a winning mentality truly mean. Many congratulations! You have made us proud once again!” Congratulatory messages were also issued by the opposition parties, the President of the Hellenic Republic and the Speaker of Parliament.
The next competition in which Greece’s national water polo team will participate is the World Championship, which will be held in Budapest in the summer of 2027.
Head coach Thodoris Vlachos said: “This is a very important moment for Greek water polo, Greek sport and the men’s game. It is our first gold medal at a major competition, and we are certainly delighted and proud of what we have achieved. We had been expecting it and hoping it would happen. It is something that relieves us of the pressure created by the opportunities we missed in the past…”
National team captain Stelios Argyropoulos spoke about the change in the team’s mentality: “This is something we had wanted for a very long time. In all our statements, we said that our goal was the gold medal. It is not easy to say that, especially when you represent a country that had never won a gold medal before. Having the courage to declare it publicly is something very special, and I am extremely happy that we achieved it.”
