Greece reclaimed their spot at the top of women’s water polo after 14 long years, defeating Hungary 12-9 in a powerful gold medal showdown at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025.

Anchored by tournament top scorer Foteini Tricha and backed by the tournament’s top goalkeeper Ioanna Stamatopoulou, the Greeks delivered a near-flawless performance from the opening whistle to the final buzzer at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. It’s their first world title since 2011 and comes hot on the heels of their World Cup triumph earlier this year.

“This gold means everything,” said Tricha, who finished with 25 goals. “We believed in our system, our team, and our coach. The goals? They’re just a result of the way we play together.”

The final was intense from the start, with Greece striking first through Tricha and never trailing throughout the match. Hungary, led by tournament MVP Rita Keszthelyi, tried to claw back, but found no way past Stamatopoulou’s wall in goal. The Greeks led 3-1 after the first quarter and never let up, managing the pace with defensive discipline and clinical execution on attack.

Captain Eleftheria Plevritou was nearly lost for words after the final whistle.

“Oh my god. I’m so happy, so proud. We made it,” she beamed. “I had this feeling from the start. I knew we could do it.”

Hungary settled for back-to-back silver medals while Spain edged out the USA 13-12 in a nail-biting bronze medal match. The reigning Olympic champions had led all game but were pushed to the wire by the Americans, who narrowed the deficit to one in the final minutes but couldn’t find the equaliser.

In classification matches, Italy defeated Japan 20-15 for seventh place, while the Netherlands beat Australia 13-11 to claim fifth.