Novi Sad to Host World Cup Qualifiers in January, First Test of Experimental Rules
From January 6 to 11, Novi Sad will host the World Cup qualification tournament, a competition that has been played in a new format since 2023 and serves as a replacement for the World League.
12 teams from Division 1 will be divided into four groups of three teams at the Spens pool in Novi Sad. The group winners will directly advance to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-placed teams in each group will compete for the remaining four spots.
Based on their performance in the previous 2023 edition of the World Cup, the following teams have qualified for Division 1: Croatia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Japan, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and the United States. Six teams from Novi Sad will qualify for the final tournament in April, with Berlin and Bucharest rumored as potential host cities.
However, the list of participants is not final yet, as Italy will not participate in the tournament in Novi Sad. The Italian water polo team has been suspended for six months from all competitions under the umbrella of the International Swimming Federation, according to the Italian national federation. This decision stems from the behavior of the Italians after their quarterfinal match against Hungary at the Paris Olympics. Some players verbally and reportedly physically attacked the referees. Two days later, during the 5th to 8th place match, they practically boycotted the game against Spain in the first quarter, remaining motionless in the pool, turning their backs during introductions and anthems.
Additionally, the Italian federation must pay $50,000 within the next three months, and an additional $50,000 if similar violations occur within the next two years. Given that the World Cup was supposed to be a qualifying event for the World Championships in Singapore, it remains uncertain how Italy will secure a spot at the Championships. However, as the Italian Swimming Federation announced they would not appeal, Italy will likely qualify for the World Championships as the third-placed team from this year's European Championship.
So far, the winners of the Olympic medals have qualified for the World Championships: Serbia, Croatia, and the USA (men), Spain, Australia, and the Netherlands (women).
The Division 1 Women's World Cup will take place in Alexandroupoli, Greece.
As for Division 2 of the World Cup, a tournament of this level for both men and women will be held in Istanbul in December, open to all teams. The two most successful countries will join the Division 1 teams in the final tournament. The top two teams from the April finals will secure a spot at the World Championships in Singapore.
Moreover, the World Cup will be played under experimental rules that will not be applied at the World Championships. The field will be reduced from 33 to 25 meters, the attack will last 25 seconds instead of 30, the second attack will be 15 rather than 20 seconds, an excluded player can re-enter the game after 15 seconds instead of 20, and coaches will be allowed to request challenges.
