The men’s water polo semi-finals at the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025 are set to deliver fireworks after Greece, Spain, Serbia, and Hungary secured their spots with convincing quarter-final victories on Sunday (July 20).

World No. 3 Greece produced a commanding performance to defeat Doha 2024 silver medallists Italy 17-11, marking their return to the semi-finals after missing out in the previous edition. They will next face reigning World Cup champions Spain, who continue their hunt for a fifth consecutive World Championships podium. Spain and Olympic champions Serbia both recorded comfortable wins to book their semi-final tickets.

The upset of the night belonged to Hungary, who dethroned defending champions and world No. 1 Croatia with a clinical 18-12 victory. A fast-paced opening quarter saw the score tied at 6-6, but Hungary gradually pulled away thanks to disciplined defence and efficient offence. Led by captain Krisztian Manhercz, who scored four goals, Hungary’s depth shone through with 10 different players getting on the scoreboard. Manhercz’s leadership in both attack and defence proved pivotal as Hungary sealed the win with four unanswered goals in the closing minutes.

Meanwhile, hosts Singapore wrapped up their historic world championship debut with a narrow 14-13 win over South Africa to finish 15th overall. Singapore started strong with a 7-2 first quarter lead but had to weather a late surge from South Africa to secure victory.

Reflecting on Greece’s performance, head coach Theodoros Vlachos praised his team’s composure against a highly respected Italian side. “I didn’t expect to win in this way… but we played a perfect game, and we deserve this win to play in the semi-finals,” he said.

Captain Konstantinos Genidounias echoed the sentiment but stressed that nothing has been won yet. “The worst place to be is fourth,” he said, adding that the team remains fully focused on the next two matches to ensure they leave Singapore with something in hand.

The semi-final line-up on July 22 will see Greece face Spain, while Serbia meets Hungary in what promises to be two thrilling battles for a place in the final.