Israel Men's National Water Polo Team

Israel made its European Championship finals debut in 2022 after defeating Turkey 9–7 in the decisive qualifying match.[1] It returned in 2024 and qualified for a third consecutive appearance by beating Bulgaria 16–9 in June 2025 to secure a place at the 2026 championship in Belgrade.[2] Israel finished 16th in 2026, matching its position at the championship two years earlier.[3]

Before its first European Championship appearance, Israel sought stronger international competition but was denied entry to several tournaments abroad, including events in France and Italy.[4] A turning point came when Israel Water Polo Association president Itzik Koren attended an international water polo convention in the Netherlands in late 2006 and conceived the idea of bringing top-level competition to Israel instead.[4]

The result was a FINA-sanctioned international tournament held at the Wingate Institute near Netanya in 2007—described at the time as the first top-level international water polo event hosted in Israel.[4] Israel was drawn in Group A alongside Russia, Romania, and Australia, while Group B featured France, Holland, Serbia, and Greece. Koren persuaded Russia to participate first, and the other nations followed.[4] Every other competing team had Olympic experience, a distinction Israel had not yet achieved.[4] Captain Amit Seker expressed hope that the event would broaden public awareness of the sport, while Koren argued that regular competition against stronger opponents was the path to Israeli improvement.[4]

The squad that reached its first European Championship in 2022 was young, with an average age of around 20, while six players were simultaneously serving as soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.[5][6] Captain Ido Goldschmidt had completed a neuroscience degree in California and been accepted into medical studies while also coaching youth teams.[6] Goalkeeper Yahav Feier played college water polo in the United States for San Jose and was named the outstanding player of the qualifying tournament.[6]

Preparing for the European Championship finals in Split, the squad played 21 warm-up matches over three months, though assembling a complete team was consistently difficult because of players' military service or academic commitments.[6] Grodman described the team's goal as demonstrating "that there is water polo in Israel," framing the European appearance as an opportunity to raise the sport's profile at home as much as to compete abroad.[6]

The Israel men's team qualified for the European Championship for the first time in February 2022 at a qualifying tournament it hosted at the Wingate Institute in Netanya.[1] The four-team group sent its top two finishers to the finals in Split, Croatia, and Israel entered as a major underdog against both the Netherlands and Turkey.[5]

The campaign opened with a 10–4 defeat to the Netherlands before Israel rallied to beat Ukraine 7–6, setting up a decisive match against Turkey.[7] A win or a draw would be enough to advance. Israel won 9–7, securing a place in the championship finals for the first time in the program's history.[1][5] Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Spain had qualified automatically based on their standings at the 2020 European Championships in Budapest; Israel joined the Netherlands, Georgia, Malta, Romania, and Slovakia as qualifier-route entrants.[1]

The association operated on a budget of 700,000 shekels and raised an additional 150,000 shekels independently to host the qualifying event.[5] Beyond Wingate, teams trained at shallow country-club pools, and the pool used by Gush Zevulun at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan was described as ten meters short of competitive dimensions.[5] Coach Tal Grodman described the squad as a long-building group and said he hoped European Championship qualification would become a regular achievement rather than a one-time event.[6]

In May 2022, European Aquatics selected Tel Aviv to host the 2024 European Water Polo Championship, which was expected to be the first European Championship hosted in Israel.[8] The Israel Water Polo Association presented its bid under the title "All Colors in One City, TLV 2024," with Expo Tel Aviv named as the planned venue.[8] Israel had previously hosted age-group European competitions and the 2015 European Short-Course Swimming Championships in Netanya.[8]

A June 2023 report instead identified the Olympic pool at Wingate as the planned venue and scheduled the competition for January 3–16, 2024. It listed 16 men's teams and said approximately 800 athletes, staff, and media representatives were expected across the men's and women's events. Israel was guaranteed a place in the men's draw as the intended host nation.[9] The published plans changed before competition began: Ynetnews subsequently reported that the women's tournament was held in Eindhoven and that Israel's men's opening match took place in Zagreb.[10]

Israel's opening match of the 2024 European Championship, coached by Tal Grodman, was played against Serbia in Zagreb.[10] Before the match, the players were permitted to wear black armbands and dog tags; captain Ido Goldschmidt held a dog tag throughout Israel's national anthem.[10] Israel lost the match 1–22, with Ronen Gros scoring the team's sole goal.[10]

In June 2025, Israel opened its qualifying campaign for the 2026 European Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, by defeating Switzerland 23–13.[11] Israel led 6–4 after the first quarter and 12–6 at halftime, with goalkeeper Yahav Feier credited with strong play during the second quarter as Israel scored six times and conceded twice.[11] All outfield players scored, and Ido Goldschmidt captained the side.[11]

Qualification was confirmed with a 16–9 win over Bulgaria, sending Israel to the 2026 European Championship in Belgrade as one of the two qualifying teams from its group and earning the program its third consecutive continental championship appearance.[2] Yuval Klerfeld led Israel's scoring against Bulgaria with three goals, and the defense held Bulgaria scoreless in the second quarter, with Israel leading 8–1 at halftime.[2]

Coach Grodman said ahead of the qualifiers that the squad blended an experienced core that had competed in two European Championships with younger players, following a preparation tournament and training camp in Slovakia.[12]

At the 2026 championship in Belgrade, Israel opened against Spain—the reigning European and world champion—and lost 28–3, with Spain leading 9–0 after the first quarter.[13] Israel scored all three of its goals in the second quarter, through Tomer Erezzi, Gil Gavishi, and Ronen Gross.[13] In the placement matches, Israel led Malta 14–13 with four minutes remaining before conceding twice to lose 15–14.[14] Israel held advantages in shots, assists, and steals but failed to score in the closing stages.[14]

Israel subsequently defeated Slovenia on penalties before closing the tournament with an 11–8 loss to Slovakia.[3] Against Slovakia, the team went from a 2–2 tie in the first quarter to trailing 9–5 after three periods and converted 8 of 30 shots against Slovakia's 11 of 26.[3] Israel finished 16th, matching its placement from the previous championship.[3]

The sources document changing plans for the 2024 championship but do not explain them. The May 2022 announcement named Expo Tel Aviv as the planned venue.[8] A June 2023 report instead identified the Wingate pool.[9] Ynetnews later reported that the women's tournament was held in Eindhoven and that Israel's men's opening match took place in Zagreb.[10]

Ynetnews also reported differing treatment of the Israeli teams' hostage-support items. The women's team was prevented from wearing dog tags and yellow armbands, while the men's players were permitted to wear black armbands and dog tags during their opening match.[10] The report does not explain the reason for the differing decisions.