The Greece men's national water polo team represents Greece in international men's water polo competitions and it is organized and run by the Hellenic Swimming Federation.
Greece has a long tradition of strong presence at international level, with their major successes being the silver medal at the 2020 Olympic Games, the gold medal at the 2026 World Cup, and a silver medal won at the World Championship in 2023. The Greeks have also won four bronze medals at the World Championship in 2005, 2015, 2022 and 2025, two silver medals at the World Cup in 1997 and 2025, three bronze medals at the World League in 2004, 2006 and 2016, a bronze medal at the European Water Polo Championship in 2026, as well as one silver (2018) and four bronze medals (1951, 1991, 1993, 2013) at the Mediterranean Games.
Moreover, they have closely missed a medal in the 2016 European Championship, the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2003 World Championship and the 1999 European Championship, ending up in the 4th place in all four of them. Greece is one of only nine national teams in the world to have won (at least) a medal in the World Championship, currently occupying the eighth place on the medal table, one above Germany. They have qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their World Championship participations since 1994, winning the two aforementioned bronze medals and never finishing below the 6th place from 2001 and on.
Honours Competition TotalOlympic Games – 1 – 1World Championship – 1 4 5World Cup 1 2 – 3World League – – 4 4European Championship – – 1 1Mediterranean Games – 1 4 5 Total 1 5 13 19
Olympic Games Silver medal: 2020
World Championship Silver medal: 2023 Bronze medals: 2005, 2015, 2022, 2025
World Cup Gold medal: 2026 Silver medal: 1997, 2025
World League Bronze medals: 2004, 2006, 2016, 2020
European Championship Bronze medal: 2026
Mediterranean Games Silver medal: 2018 Bronze medals: 1951, 1991, 1993, 2013
Competitive record Olympic Games
Greece has participated 16 times at the Olympic Games, always present in the tournament since 1980. Their best result is the 2nd place at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, after losing 13–10 to Serbia in the gold medal game. The Greeks have secured a quarter-finals' presence in six occasions.
YearPosition 1920 8th 1924 13th 1948 15th 1968 14th 1972 14th 1980 10th 1984 8th 1988 9th 1992 10th 1996 6th 2000 10th 2004 4th 2008 7th 2012 9th 2016 6th 2020 2024 5thTotal17/28
World Championship Greece has a strong presence at the World Aquatics Championships, where they have been placed third in the world in two occasions. The first was in 2005 in Montreal, after their 11–10 victory over Croatia in the bronze medal game, with Georgios Afroudakis scoring the winning goal, with a spectacular backhand shot, with only 11 seconds left in the overtime.Το χάλκινο μετάλλιο της Εθνικής ομάδας πόλο των ανδρών στο Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα του 2005 στο Μόντρεαλ sport24.gr, 30 July 2014 (in Greek) The second one was in 2015 in Kazan, after their penalty shootout win over Italy in the bronze medal game. Greece has qualified at least for the quarter-finals in all their tournament participations since 1994, with a 7th place being their lowest position from 2001 and on when the team qualified.
YearPosition 1973 12th 1978 12th 1982 12th 1986 11th 1991 10th 1994 7th 1998 8th 2001 6th 2003 4th 2005 2007 6th 2013 6th 2015 2017 4th 2019 7th 2022 2023 2024 5th 2025 Total19/22
World Cup Greece had qualified for the FINA Water Polo World Cup in all but two occasions between 1985 and 2006, first winning the silver medal in 1997 in Athens, losing 5–8 to the United States in the final. They have subsequently won another silver medal in 2025, losing to Spain, then won gold in 2026 against Hungary. In the 2026 final in Sydney, Greece defeated Hungary 15–14 to win the first global title in the men's team's history. Captain Stelios Argyropoulos scored the winning goal with 12 seconds remaining and was named the tournament's most valuable player, while Panagiotis Tzortzatos received the best goalkeeper award.
YearPosition 1985 8th 1987 8th 1993 7th 1995 6th 1997 1999 7th 2002 5th 2006 7th 2023 5th 2025 2026 2027 QualifiedTotal12/20
World League Greece had a regular presence at the FINA Water Polo World League during the first years of the competition, starting from 2002. They have won four bronze medals so far in 2004, 2006, 2016 and 2020.
YearPosition 2002 4th 2003 5th 2004 2005 5th 2006 2008 8th 2016 2020 Total8/20
European Championship As one of the most competitive European nations in water polo, Greece is a regular contestant at the European Water Polo Championship since 1989, winning a bronze medal in 2026 in Belgrade.
YearPosition 1970 10th 1985 8th 1989 11th 1991 6th 1993 7th 1995 9th 1997 7th 1999 4th 2001 7th 2003 8th 2006 6th 2008 11th 2010 9th 2012 6th 2014 6th 2016 4th 2018 5th 2020 7th 2022 5th 2024 5th 2026 Total21/37
LEN Europa Cup YearPosition 2018 7th 2019 7th
Mediterranean Games YearPosition 1951 1967 4th 1971 4th 1975 4th 1979 4th 1983 5th 1987 4th 1991 1993 2001 7th 2005 5th 2009 7th 2013 2018 2022 5th 2026 6th
Team Current squad Roster for the 2026 World Cup Super Final.
World Championship medal-winning squads The following are the medal-winning Greek rosters in the men's water polo tournaments of the Water polo at the World Aquatics Championships:
2005 World ChampionshipBronze MedalistsGeorgios ReppasAnastasios SchizasDimitrios MazisEmmanouil MylonakisTheodoros ChatzitheodorouArgyris TheodoropoulosChristos AfroudakisGeorgios NtoskasGeorgios Afroudakis (c)Stefanos-Petros SantaAntonios VlontakisManthos VoulgarakisNikolaos DeligiannisWater polo at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships – Final Standings – Games – Rosters www.worldaquatics.comHead coachAlessandro Campagna
2015 World ChampionshipBronze MedalistsKonstantinos FlegkasEmmanouil MylonakisGeorgios DervisisKonstantinos GenidouniasIoannis FountoulisKyriakos PontikeasChristos Afroudakis (c)Evangelos DelakasKonstantinos MourikisChristodoulos KolomvosAlexandros GounasAngelos VlachopoulosStefanos GalanopoulosHead coachThodoris Vlachos
2022 World ChampionshipBronze MedalistsManos ZerdevasDinos GenidouniasDimitris SkoumpakisStathis KalogeropoulosYiannis Fountoulis (c)Alexandros PapanastasiouGiorgos DervisisStelios ArgyropoulosCostas GouvisCostas KakarisDimitris NikolaidisAngelos VlachopoulosPanagiotis Tzortzatos waterpolo.sportresult.comHead coachThodoris Vlachos
2023 World ChampionshipSilver MedalistsManos ZerdevasDinos GenidouniasDimitris SkoumpakisStathis KalogeropoulosYiannis Fountoulis (c)Alexandros PapanastasiouGiorgos DervisisStelios ArgyropoulosDimitris NikolaidisCostas KakarisIoannis AlafragkisKonstantinos GkiouvetsisPanagiotis TzortzatosNikolaos GkillasAristeidis Chalyvopoulos waterpolo.sportresult.comHead coachThodoris Vlachos
2025 World ChampionshipBronze MedalistsPanagiotis TzortzatosDinos Genidounias (c)Dimitris SkoumpakisKonstas GkiouvetsisStelios ArgyropoulosAris ChalyvopoulosNikos GkillasStathis KalogeropoulosZannis AlafragkisKostas KakarisDimitris NikolaidisNikos PapanikolaouManos AndreadisVangelis PourosNikos GardikasHead coachThodoris Vlachos
Notable coaches
Andreas Garyfallos Josep Brasco Cata Ivo Trumbić Kyriakos Iosifidis Mile Nakić Giannis Giannouris Alessandro Campagna Dragan Andrić Thodoris Vlachos
See also Greece men's Olympic water polo team records and statistics Greece women's national water polo team
References
External links