List of world champions in men's water polo

This is a list of world champions in men's water polo since the inaugural official edition in 1973.

Abbreviations[edit]

# Ordering by name or by tournament Cap No. Cap number Rk Rank
(C) Captain L/R Handedness Ref Reference
Pos Playing position FP Field player GK Goalkeeper
CB Center back CF Center forward D Driver
ISHOF International Swimming Hall of Fame p. page pp. pages

History[edit]

The 1973 Men's World Water Polo Championship was the first edition of the men's water polo tournament at the World Aquatics Championships, organized by the world governing body in aquatics, the FINA.

As of 2024, men's water polo teams from eight European countries won all 21 tournaments.[1]

Croatia is current world champion.

Legend
  •  D  – Debut
  •  C  – Champion
  •  C  – Winning streak (winning three or more world championships in a row)
  •     – Hosts
  • † – Defunct team
Champion 1973 1975 1978 1982 1986 1991 1994 1998 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2022 2023 2024 Total
 Croatia Part of Yugoslavia† D C C C 3
 Hungary C C C C 4
 Italy D C C C C 4
 Serbia Part of Yugoslavia†, then of FR Yugoslavia†, and Serbia and Montenegro†[a] D C C 2
 Serbia and Montenegro†[a] Part of Yugoslavia† D C Defunct 1
 Soviet Union† D C C Defunct 2
 Spain D C C C 3
 Yugoslavia† D C C Defunct 2
Champion 1973 1975 1978 1982 1986 1991 1994 1998 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2022 2023 2024 Total

Team statistics[edit]

Results[edit]

The following table shows results of world champions in men's water polo by tournament.

Legend
  •  6  – Winning 6 matches during the tournament
  •  4  – Drawing 4 matches during the tournament
  •  2  – Losing 2 matches during the tournament
  •  100.0%  – Winning all matches during the tournament
  •  team  – Winning streak (winning three or more world championships in a row)
  •     – Host team
  • † – Defunct team
Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • W – Won
  • D – Drawn
  • L – Lost
  • GF – Goals for
  • GA – Goals against
  • GD – Goals difference
  • GF/MP – Goals for per match
  • GA/MP – Goals against per match
  • GD/MP – Goals difference per match
Results of champions by tournament
# Men's tournament Champion MP W D L Win % GF GA GD GF/MP GA/MP GD/MP
1 Belgrade 1973  Hungary (1st title) 8 7 1 0 87.5% 58 24 34 7.250 3.000 4.250
2 Cali 1975  Soviet Union† (1st title) 8 6 2 0 75.0% 49 26 23 6.125 3.250 2.875
3 West Berlin 1978  Italy (1st title) 8 5 3 0 62.5% 41 31 10 5.125 3.875 1.250
4 Guayaquil 1982  Soviet Union† (2nd title) 7 6 1 0 85.7% 68 41 27 9.714 5.857 3.857
5 Madrid 1986  Yugoslavia† (1st title) 6 5 1 0 83.3% 61 43 18 10.167 7.167 3.000
6 Perth 1991  Yugoslavia† (2nd title) 7 6 0 1 85.7% 81 46 35 11.571 6.571 5.000
7 Rome 1994  Italy (2nd title) 7 7 0 0 100.0% 65 39 26 9.286 5.571 3.714
8 Perth 1998  Spain (1st title) 8 8 0 0 100.0% 65 35 30 8.125 4.375 3.750
9 Fukuoka 2001  Spain (2nd title) 8 8 0 0 100.0% 63 27 36 7.875 3.375 4.500
10 Barcelona 2003  Hungary (2nd title) 6 5 1 0 83.3% 62 37 25 10.333 6.167 4.167
11 Montreal 2005  Serbia and Montenegro† (1st title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 69 29 40 11.500 4.833 6.667
12 Melbourne 2007  Croatia (1st title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 65 40 25 10.833 6.667 4.167
13 Rome 2009  Serbia (1st title) 7 5 1 1 71.4% 80 60 20 11.429 8.571 2.857
14 Shanghai 2011  Italy (3rd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 59 33 26 9.833 5.500 4.333
15 Barcelona 2013  Hungary (3rd title) 7 5 1 1 71.4% 76 54 22 10.857 7.714 3.143
16 Kazan 2015  Serbia (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 73 43 30 12.167 7.167 5.000
17 Budapest 2017  Croatia (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 70 47 23 11.667 7.833 3.833
18 Gwangju 2019  Italy (4th title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 60 40 20 10.000 6.667 3.333
19 Budapest 2022  Spain (3rd title) 5 5 0 0 100.0% 74 39 35 14.800 7.800 7.000
20 Fukuoka 2023  Hungary (4th title) 6 6 0 0 100.0% 88 67 21 14.667 11.167 3.500
21 Doha 2024  Croatia (3rd title) 7 6 0 1 85.7% 117 70 47 16.174 10.000 6.174
# Men's tournament Total 141 126 11 4 89.4% 1444 871 573 10.241 6.177 4.064
Champion MP W D L Win % GF GA GD GF/MP GA/MP GD/MP

Sources:

The following table shows men's teams that won all matches during the tournament.

Winning all matches during the tournament
# Year Champion MP W D L Win %
1 1994  Italy (2nd title) 7 7 0 0 100.0%
2 1998  Spain (1st title) 8 8 0 0 100.0%
3 2001  Spain (2nd title) 8 8 0 0 100.0%
4 2005  Serbia and Montenegro† (1st title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
5 2007  Croatia (1st title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
6 2011  Italy (3rd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
7 2015  Serbia (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
8 2017  Croatia (2nd title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
9 2019  Italy (4th title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
10 2022  Spain (3rd title) 5 5 0 0 100.0%
11 2023  Hungary (4th title) 6 6 0 0 100.0%
# Year Champion MP W D L Win %

The following tables show records of goals for per match.

Historical progression of records – goals for per match
Goals for
per match		 Achievement Year Champion Date of
winning gold		 Duration of record
7.250 Set record 1973  Hungary (1st title) 9 September 1973 8 years, 332 days
9.714 Broke record 1982  Soviet Union† (2nd title) 7 August 1982 4 years, 15 days
10.167 Broke record 1986  Yugoslavia† (1st title) 22 August 1986 4 years, 144 days
11.571 Broke record 1991  Yugoslavia† (2nd title) 13 January 1991 24 years, 207 days
12.167 Broke record 2015  Serbia (2nd title) 8 August 2015 6 years, 329 days
14.800 Broke record 2022  Spain (3rd title) 3 July 2022 1 year, 229 days
16.174 Broke record 2024  Croatia (3rd title) 17 February 2024 143 days

The following tables show records of goals against per match.

The following tables show records of goals difference per match.

Olympic and world champions (teams)[edit]

See also: List of Olympic champions in men's water polo § Team statistics

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic titles (in descending order), number of world titles (in descending order), name of the team (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 26 February 2024.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, there are seven men's national water polo teams that won gold medals at the Summer Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
  • Team† – Defunct team
# Champions Olympic title World title Total First Last
1  Hungary 9 (1932–1936, 1952–1956, 1964, 1976, 2000–2004–2008) 4 (1973, 2003, 2013, 2023) 13 1932 2023
2  Italy 3 (1948, 1960*, 1992) 4 (1978, 1994*, 2011, 2019) 7 1948 2019
3  Yugoslavia† 3 (1968, 1984–1988) 2 (1986–1991) 5 1968 1991
4  Serbia 2 (2016–2020) 2 (2009, 2015) 4 2009 2020
 Soviet Union† 2 (1972, 1980*) 2 (1975, 1982) 4 1972 1982
6  Croatia 1 (2012) 3 (2007, 2017, 2024) 4 2007 2024
 Spain 1 (1996) 3 (1998–2001, 2022) 4 1996 2022

Player statistics[edit]

Age records[edit]

The following tables show the oldest and youngest male world champions in water polo.

Legend
  •     – Host team
Top 10 oldest male world champions in water polo
Rk Player Age of
winning gold		 Men's team Pos Date of birth Date of
winning gold
1 Josip Vrlić 37 years, 298 days  Croatia FP 25 April 1986 17 February 2024
2 Luka Lončar 36 years, 236 days  Croatia FP 26 June 1987 17 February 2024
3 Felipe Perrone 36 years, 126 days  Spain FP 27 February 1986 3 July 2022
4 Dénes Varga 36 years, 122 days  Hungary FP 29 March 1987 29 July 2023
5 Manuel Estiarte 36 years, 84 days  Spain FP 26 October 1961 18 January 1998
6 Zdeslav Vrdoljak 36 years, 17 days  Croatia FP 15 March 1971 1 April 2007
7 Amaurys Pérez 35 years, 134 days  Italy FP 18 March 1976 30 July 2011
8 Pietro Figlioli 35 years, 59 days  Italy FP 29 May 1984 27 July 2019
9 Ivan Krapić 35 years, 3 days  Croatia FP 14 February 1989 17 February 2024
10 Blai Mallarach 34 years, 316 days  Spain FP 21 August 1987 3 July 2022
Rk Player Age of
winning gold		 Men's team Pos Date of birth Date of
winning gold
Top 10 youngest male world champions in water polo
Rk Player Age of
winning gold		 Men's team Pos Date of birth Date of
winning gold
1 Guillermo Molina 17 years, 135 days  Spain FP 16 March 1984 29 July 2001
2 Mirko Vičević 18 years, 53 days  Yugoslavia FP 30 June 1968 22 August 1986
3 Nikola Jakšić 18 years, 203 days  Serbia FP 17 January 1997 8 August 2015
4 Aleksey Vdovin 19 years, 51 days  Soviet Union FP 17 June 1963 7 August 1982
5 Maro Joković 19 years, 182 days  Croatia FP 1 October 1987 1 April 2007
6 Dubravko Šimenc 19 years, 293 days  Yugoslavia FP 2 November 1966 22 August 1986
7 Unai Aguirre 19 years, 354 days  Spain GK 14 July 2002 3 July 2022
8 Erik Molnár 20 years, 35 days  Hungary FP 24 June 2003 29 July 2023
9 Vince Vigvári 20 years, 36 days  Hungary FP 23 June 2003 29 July 2023
10 Viktor Jelenić 20 years, 74 days  Yugoslavia FP 31 October 1970 13 January 1991
Rk Player Age of
winning gold		 Men's team Pos Date of birth Date of
winning gold

Multiple gold medalists[edit]

The following tables are pre-sorted by date of receiving the last gold medal (in ascending order), date of receiving the first gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively.

There is only one male athlete who won three gold medals in water polo at the World Aquatics Championships.

Legend
  • * – Host team
Male athletes who won three gold medals in water polo at the World Aquatics Championships
Year Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World titles Age of
first/last
2015 Slobodan Nikić 25 January 1983 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)  Serbia and Montenegro FP 2005 22/32
 Serbia FP 2009, 2015

There are thirty five male athletes who won two gold medals in water polo at the World Aquatics Championships.

Legend
  • * – Host team
Male athletes who won two gold medals in water polo at the World Aquatics Championships
Year Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World titles Age of
first/last
1982 Aleksandr Kabanov 11 June 1948 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)  Soviet Union FP 1975, 1982 27/34
1991 Perica Bukić 20 February 1966 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)  Yugoslavia FP 1986–1991 20/24
Igor Milanović 18 December 1965 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 20/25
Dubravko Šimenc 2 November 1966 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 19/24
Anto Vasović FP
Mirko Vičević 30 June 1968 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 18/22
2001 Daniel Ballart 17 March 1973 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)  Spain FP 1998–2001 24/28
Salvador Gómez 11 March 1968 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 29/33
Gustavo Marcos 23 December 1972 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 25/28
Iván Moro 25 December 1974 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 23/26
Sergi Pedrerol 16 December 1969 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 28/31
Iván Pérez 29 June 1971 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 26/30
Jesús Rollán 4 April 1968 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) GK 29/33
Carles Sanz 25 May 1975 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 22/26
2009 Vanja Udovičić 12 September 1982 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)  Serbia and Montenegro FP 2005 22/26
 Serbia FP 2009
2013 Norbert Madaras 1 December 1979 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)  Hungary FP 2003, 2013 23/33
2015 Milan Aleksić 13 May 1986 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)  Serbia FP 2009, 2015 23/29
Filip Filipović 2 May 1987 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 22/28
Živko Gocić 22 August 1982 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 26/32
Stefan Mitrović 29 March 1988 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 21/27
Duško Pijetlović 25 April 1985 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 24/30
Gojko Pijetlović 7 August 1983 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) GK 25/32
Andrija Prlainović 28 April 1987 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 22/28
2017 Andro Bušlje 4 January 1986 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)  Croatia FP 2007, 2017 21/31
Maro Joković 1 October 1987 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 19/29
2019 Matteo Aicardi 19 April 1986 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)  Italy FP 2011, 2019 25/33
Niccolò Figari 24 January 1988 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 23/31
Pietro Figlioli 29 May 1984 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 27/35
2023 Márton Vámos 24 June 1992 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)  Hungary FP 2013, 2023 21/31
Dénes Varga 29 March 1987 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 26/36
2024 Marko Bijač 12 January 1991 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)  Croatia GK 2017, 2024 26/33
Loren Fatović 16 November 1996 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 20/27
Ivan Krapić 14 February 1989 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 28/35
Luka Lončar 26 June 1987 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 30/36
Ante Vukičević 24 February 1993 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 24/30
Year Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World titles Age of
first/last

Olympic and world champions (players)[edit]

See also: List of Olympic champions in men's water polo § Player statistics

The following tables are pre-sorted by number of Olympic titles (in descending order), number of world titles (in descending order), year of receiving the last gold medal (in ascending order), year of receiving the first gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 11 August 2023.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, there are ninety-six male athletes who won gold medals in water polo at the Summer Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
Male water polo players who won three Olympic titles and one or more world titles
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
1 Tibor Benedek 1972 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 28–32–36  Hungary 2000–2004–2008 31  Hungary 2003 4 2016
Péter Biros 1976 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 24–28–32 27 2016
Tamás Kásás 1976 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 24–28–32 27 2016
Gergely Kiss 1977 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 23–26–30 25 2016
Tamás Molnár 1975 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 25–29–33 27 2016
Zoltán Szécsi 1977 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) GK 22–26–30 25 2016
Male water polo players who won two Olympic titles and two or more world titles
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
7 Aleksandr Kabanov 1948 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 24, 32  Soviet Union 1972, 1980* 27, 34  Soviet Union 1975, 1982 4 2001
8 Perica Bukić 1966 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 18–22  Yugoslavia 1984–1988 20–24  Yugoslavia 1986–1991 4 2008
Igor Milanović 1965 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 18–22 20–25 2006
10 Norbert Madaras 1979 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 24–28  Hungary 2004–2008 23, 33  Hungary 2003, 2013 4
11 Milan Aleksić 1986 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 30–35  Serbia 2016–2020 23, 29  Serbia 2009, 2015 4
Filip Filipović 1987 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 29–34 22, 28
Stefan Mitrović 1988 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 28–33 21, 27
Duško Pijetlović 1985 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 31–36 24, 30
Gojko Pijetlović 1983 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) GK 33–38 25, 32
Andrija Prlainović 1987 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 29–34 22, 28
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships
Male water polo players who won two Olympic titles and a world title
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
17 Aleksei Barkalov 1946 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 26, 34  Soviet Union 1972, 1980* 29  Soviet Union 1975 3 1993
18 Dragan Andrić 1962 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 22–26  Yugoslavia 1984–1988 24  Yugoslavia 1986 3
Veselin Đuho 1960 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 24–28 26
Deni Lušić 1962 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 22–26 24
Tomislav Paškvalin 1961 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 22–27 24
22 Rajmund Fodor 1976 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 24–28  Hungary 2000–2004 27  Hungary 2003 3
Barnabás Steinmetz 1975 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 24–28 27
Attila Vári 1976 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 24–28 27
25 István Gergely 1976 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) GK 28–32  Hungary 2004–2008 26  Hungary 2003 3
Tamás Varga 1975 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 29–33 28
27 Nikola Jakšić 1997 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 19–24  Serbia 2016–2020 18  Serbia 2015 3
Dušan Mandić 1994 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 22–27 21
Branislav Mitrović 1985 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) GK 31–36 30
Sava Ranđelović 1993 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 23–28 22
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships
Male water polo players who won an Olympic title and two or more world titles
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
31 Slobodan Nikić 1983 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 33  Serbia 2016 22  Serbia and Montenegro 2005 4
26, 32  Serbia 2009, 2015
32 Dubravko Šimenc 1966 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 21  Yugoslavia 1988 19–24  Yugoslavia 1986–1991 3
Mirko Vičević 1968 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 20 18–22 2022
34 Daniel Ballart 1973 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 23  Spain 1996 24–28  Spain 1998–2001 3
Salvador Gómez 1968 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 28 29–33
Iván Moro 1974 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 21 23–26
Sergi Pedrerol 1969 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 26 28–31
Jesús Rollán 1968 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) GK 28 29–33 2012
Carles Sanz 1975 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 21 22–26
40 Živko Gocić 1982 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 33  Serbia 2016 26, 32  Serbia 2009, 2015 3
41 Andro Bušlje 1986 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 26  Croatia 2012 21, 31  Croatia 2007, 2017 3
Maro Joković 1987 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 24 19, 29
43 Dénes Varga 1987 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 21  Hungary 2008 26, 36  Hungary 2013, 2023 3
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships
Male water polo players who won an Olympic title and a world title (part 1/3)
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
44 András Bodnár 1942 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 22  Hungary 1964 31  Hungary 1973 2 2017
45 Aleksandr Dolgushin 1946 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 26  Soviet Union 1972 29  Soviet Union 1975 2 2010
Aleksandr Dreval 1944 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 28 31
Nikolay Melnikov 1948 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) FP 24 27
48 Gábor Csapó 1950 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 25  Hungary 1976 22  Hungary 1973 2
Tibor Cservenyák 1948 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 27 25
Tamás Faragó 1952 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 23 21 1993
Ferenc Konrád 1945 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) FP 31 28
Endre Molnár 1945 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) GK 31 28
László Sárosi 1946 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) FP 29 26
István Szívós Jr. 1948 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 28 25 1996
55 Vladimir Akimov 1953 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) FP 27  Soviet Union 1980* 29  Soviet Union 1982 2
Mikhail Ivanov 1958 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 22 24
Sergey Kotenko 1956 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) FP 23 25
Giorgi Mshvenieradze 1960 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 19 21
Erkin Shagaev 1959 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 21 23
Yevgeny Sharonov 1958 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) GK 21 23 2003
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships
Male water polo players who won an Olympic title and a world title (part 2/3)
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
61 Milorad Krivokapić 1956 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) GK 28  Yugoslavia 1984 30  Yugoslavia 1986 2
Zoran Petrović 1960 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 23 26
Andrija Popović 1959 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) GK 24 26
Goran Sukno 1959 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 25 27
65 Mislav Bezmalinović 1967 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 21  Yugoslavia 1988 23  Yugoslavia 1991 2
Renco Posinković 1964 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) GK 24 27
Goran Rađenović 1966 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 21 24
Aleksandar Šoštar 1964 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) GK 24 26 2011
69 Francesco Attolico 1963 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 29  Italy 1992 31  Italy 1994* 2
Gianni Averaimo 1964 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) GK 27 30
Alessandro Bovo 1969 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 23 25
Sandro Campagna 1963 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) FP 29 31 2019
Marco D'Altrui 1964 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 28 30 2010
Massimiliano Ferretti 1966 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 26 28
Mario Fiorillo 1962 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 29 31
Ferdinando Gandolfi 1967 FP 25 27
Amedeo Pomilio 1967 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 25 27
Francesco Porzio 1966 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) FP 26 28
Pino Porzio 1967 FP 25 27
Carlo Silipo 1971 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 20 23
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships
Male water polo players who won an Olympic title and a world title (part 3/3)
# Player Birth Height Pos Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
81 Manuel Estiarte 1961 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) FP 34  Spain 1996 36  Spain 1998 2 2007
Pedro García 1968 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 27 29
Jordi Sans 1965 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) FP 30 32
84 Ángel Andreo 1972 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) GK 23  Spain 1996 28  Spain 2001 2
85 Zsolt Varga 1972 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 28  Hungary 2000 31  Hungary 2003 2
86 Samir Barać 1973 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 38  Croatia 2012 33  Croatia 2007 2
Miho Bošković 1983 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 29 24
Damir Burić 1980 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) FP 31 26
Igor Hinić 1975 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) FP 36 31
Josip Pavić 1982 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) GK 30 25
Frano Vićan 1976 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) GK 36 31
92 Norbert Hosnyánszky 1984 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) FP 24  Hungary 2008 29  Hungary 2013 2
Dániel Varga 1983 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 24 29
94 Miloš Ćuk 1990 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) FP 25  Serbia 2016 24  Serbia 2015 2
95 Ivan Buljubašić 1987 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 24  Croatia 2012 29  Croatia 2017 2
Sandro Sukno 1990 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 22 27
# Player Birth Height Pos Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title Total
titles		 ISHOF
member
Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships

World champion families[edit]

The following tables are pre-sorted by date of receiving the gold medal (in ascending order), name of the player (in ascending order), respectively.

Legend
  • * – Host team
Relationship Family Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World
Title		 Age Note Ref
Two brothers Porzio Francesco Porzio 26 January 1966 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)  Italy FP 1994* 28 Two brothers in
a tournament		 [2]
Pino Porzio 26 February 1967 FP 27 [3]
Moro Iván Moro 25 December 1974 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)  Spain FP 1998 23 [4]
2001 26 Two brothers in
a tournament
Daniel Moro 8 August 1973 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) FP 27 [5]
Varga Tamás Varga 14 July 1975 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)  Hungary FP 2003 28 Two brothers in
a tournament		 [6]
Zsolt Varga 24 May 1978 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) FP 25 [7]
Pijetlović Duško Pijetlović 25 April 1985 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)  Serbia FP 2009, 2015 24, 30 Two brothers in
a tournament		 [8]
Gojko Pijetlović 7 August 1983 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) GK 25, 32 [9]
Decker Ádám Decker 29 February 1984 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)  Hungary FP 2013 29 Two brothers in
a tournament		 [10]
Attila Decker 25 August 1987 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) GK 25 [11]
Varga Dániel Varga 25 September 1983 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)  Hungary FP 2013 29 Two brothers in
a tournament		 [12]
Dénes Varga 29 March 1987 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 2013, 2023 26, 36 [13]
Relationship Family Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World
Title		 Age Note Ref
Relationship Family Player Date of birth Height Men's team Pos World
Title		 Age Ref
Father and son Kásás Zoltán Kásás 15 September 1946 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)  Hungary FP 1973 26 [14]
Tamás Kásás 20 July 1976 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) FP 2003 27 [15]
Szívós István Szívós Jr. 24 April 1948 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in)  Hungary FP 1973 25 [16]
Márton Szívós 19 August 1981 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) FP 2013 31 [17]
Sukno Goran Sukno 6 April 1959 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)  Yugoslavia FP 1986 27 [18]
Sandro Sukno 30 June 1990 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)  Croatia FP 2017 27 [19]

Coach statistics[edit]

Most successful coaches[edit]

Ratko Rudić coached three men's national teams to the world titles.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of gold medals (in descending order), date of winning the last gold medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively.

There are four coaches who led men's national water polo teams to win two or more gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships.

Ratko Rudić led three men's national water polo teams to win gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships. He guided Yugoslavia men's national team to a gold medal in 1986, Italy men's national team to a gold medal in 1994, and Croatia men's national team to a gold medal in 2007, making him the first and only coach to lead three different men's national water polo teams to the world titles.[20][21]

Spaniard Juan Jané coached the Spain men's national team to two consecutive gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in 1998 and 2001.[22]

Alessandro Campagna and Ivica Tucak are other coaches who led men's national water polo teams to win two gold medals. Under Campagna's leadership, the Italy men's national team won two world titles in 2011 and 2019.[23] Tucak guided Croatia men's national team to win gold medals in 2017 and 2024.[24]

Legend
  • * – Host team
Head coaches who led men's national teams to win
two or more gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships
Rk Head coach Nationality Birth Age Men's team World titles Total Ref
1 Ratko Rudić  Yugoslavia 1948 38  Yugoslavia 1986 3 [25][20][21]
 Croatia 46  Italy 1994
58  Croatia 2007
2 Juan Jané  Spain 1953 44–48  Spain 1998–2001 2 [22]
Alessandro Campagna  Italy 1963 48, 56  Italy 2011, 2019 2 [26][23]
Ivica Tucak  Croatia 1970 47, 54  Croatia 2017, 2024 2 [24]

Champions as coach and player[edit]

Alessandro Campagna of Italy is a dual world champion as coach and player.

The following table is pre-sorted by number of gold medals (in descending order), date of winning the last gold medal (in ascending order), name of the person (in ascending order), respectively.

Three water polo players won gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships and then guided men's national water polo teams to the world titles as head coaches.

Tibor Benedek of Hungary won a gold medal at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships. Ten years later, he coached the Hungary men's national team to the world title in 2013.[27][28]

Italian Alessandro Campagna won a gold medal at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships in Rome, coached by Ratko Rudić. As a head coach, he led Italy men's national team to win two gold in 2011 and 2019.[26][23]

Dejan Savić, representing Serbia and Montenegro, won a gold medal in 2005. He then guided Serbia men's national team to the world title in 2015.[29]

Legend
  • * – Host team
Rk Person Birth Height Player Head coach Total
titles		 Ref
Age Men's team Pos Title Age Men's team Title
1 Alessandro Campagna 1963 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 31  Italy FP 1994* 48, 56  Italy 2011, 2019 3 [26][23]
2 Tibor Benedek 1972 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 31  Hungary D 2003 41  Hungary 2013 2 [27][28]
Dejan Savić 1975 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 30  Serbia and Montenegro CB 2005 40  Serbia 2015 2 [29]

Olympic and world champions (coaches)[edit]

See also: List of Olympic champions in men's water polo § Coach statistics

The following table is pre-sorted by number of Olympic titles (in descending order), number of world titles (in descending order), year of winning the last gold medal (in ascending order), year of winning the first gold medal (in ascending order), name of the coach (in ascending order), respectively. Last updated: 12 September 2021.

As of the 2020 Summer Olympics, there are six head coaches who led men's national teams to win gold medals in water polo at the Summer Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships.

Legend
  • Year* – As host team
Head coaches who led men's national teams to win gold medals in water polo
at the Summer Olympics and the World Aquatics Championships
# Coach Nationality Birth Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships Total
titles		 ISHOF
member		 Ref
Age Men's team Title Age Men's team Title
1 Ratko Rudić  Yugoslavia 1948 36–40  Yugoslavia 1984–1988 38  Yugoslavia 1986 7 2007 [25]
[20]
[21]
 Croatia 44  Italy 1992 46  Italy 1994*
64  Croatia 2012 58  Croatia 2007
2 Dénes Kemény  Hungary 1954 46–54  Hungary 2000–2004–2008 49  Hungary 2003 4 2011 [30]
3 Dejan Savić  Serbia 1975 41–46  Serbia 2016–2020 40  Serbia 2015 3 [29]
4 Juan Jané  Spain 1953 43  Spain 1996 44–48  Spain 1998–2001 3 [22]
5 Dezső Gyarmati  Hungary 1927 48  Hungary 1976 45  Hungary 1973 2 1976 [31][32]
Boris Popov  Soviet Union 1941 39  Soviet Union 1980* 41  Soviet Union 1982 2 2019 [33][34]

Champions by tournament[edit]

2019 (Italy, 4th title)[edit]

Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/6 Preliminary round – Group D 15 July 2019   Blue  Brazil Won 14 5 9
Match 2/6 Preliminary round – Group D 17 July 2019   Blue  Japan Won 9 7 2
Match 3/6 Preliminary round – Group D 19 July 2019   Blue  Germany Won 8 7 1
Match 4/6 Quarter-finals 23 July 2019   White  Greece Won 7 6 1
Match 5/6 Semi-finals 25 July 2019   Blue  Hungary Won 12 10 2
Match 6/6 Gold medal match 27 July 2019   Blue  Spain Won 10 5 5
Total Matches played: 6 • Wins: 6 • Ties: 0 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 100% 60 40 20

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2019 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Matteo Aicardi, the center forward of the Italy team, won his second world title in 2019.
Pietro Figlioli, the captain of Italy, won his second world title in 2019.
Roster
Cap
No.		 Player Pos L/R Height Weight Date of birth Age of
winning gold		 ISHOF
member
1 Marco Del Lungo GK R 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 1 March 1990 29 years, 148 days
2 Francesco Di Fulvio D R 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 15 August 1993 25 years, 346 days
3 Stefano Luongo FP R 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) 5 January 1990 29 years, 203 days
4 Pietro Figlioli (C) D R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 29 May 1984 35 years, 59 days
5 Edoardo Di Somma FP 30 September 1996 22 years, 300 days
6 Alessandro Velotto CB R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 12 February 1995 24 years, 165 days
7 Vincenzo Renzuto FP R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 8 April 1993 26 years, 110 days
8 Gonzalo Echenique FP L 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 27 April 1990 29 years, 91 days
9 Niccolò Figari CB R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 24 January 1988 31 years, 184 days
10 Michaël Bodegas CF R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 3 May 1987 32 years, 85 days
11 Matteo Aicardi CF R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 19 April 1986 33 years, 99 days
12 Vincenzo Dolce FP R 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 11 May 1995 24 years, 77 days
13 Gianmarco Nicosia GK R 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 12 February 1998 21 years, 165 days
Average 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[b] 13 June 1991 28 years, 44 days
Coach Alessandro Campagna 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 26 June 1963 56 years, 31 days 2019

Sources:

Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • Min – Minutes
  • G – Goals
  • Sh – Shots
  • TF – Turnover fouls
  • ST – Steals
  • RB – Rebounds
  • BL – Blocked shots
  • SP – Sprints
  • 20S – 20 seconds exclusion
  • DE – Double exclusion
  • Pen – Penalty
  • EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap
No.		 Player Pos MP Minutes played Goals/Shots TF ST RB BL Sprints Personal fouls
Min % G Sh % Won SP % 20S DE Pen EX
1 Marco Del Lungo GK 6 192 100% 5 5 1
2 Francesco Di Fulvio D 6 154 80.2% 10 39 25.6% 7 3 3 2 4 4 100% 5 1
3 Stefano Luongo FP 6 136 70.8% 11 29 37.9% 6 2 6 3 2 3 66.7% 4 1
4 Pietro Figlioli (C) D 6 139 72.4% 9 35 25.7% 5 2 5 3 13 14 92.9% 3 1
5 Edoardo Di Somma FP 6 51 26.6% 0 6 0.0% 2 1 2 1 7 1 2
6 Alessandro Velotto CB 6 116 60.4% 5 12 41.7% 3 4 5 1 3 3 100% 13 2
7 Vincenzo Renzuto FP 6 101 52.6% 3 9 33.3% 1 4 7 1 1
8 Gonzalo Echenique FP 5 111 57.8% 5 16 31.3% 3 3 5 4 2 1
9 Niccolò Figari CB 6 80 41.7% 4 8 50.0% 1 2 2 2 9 1 2
10 Michaël Bodegas CF 6 92 47.9% 5 10 50.0% 9 3 2 6
11 Matteo Aicardi CF 6 105 54.7% 5 20 25.0% 14 1 1 3 3
12 Vincenzo Dolce FP 6 64 33.3% 3 6 50.0% 7 1 1 6
13 Gianmarco Nicosia GK 6 0 0.0%
Team 5
Total 6 192 100% 60 190 31.6% 63 31 35 21 22 24 91.7% 65 1 6 8
Against 40 165 24.2% 69 25 37 19 2 24 8.3% 75 1 4 7
Cap
No.		 Player Pos Saves/Shots
Saves Shots %
1 Marco Del Lungo GK 67 107 62.6%
13 Gianmarco Nicosia GK
Total 67 107 62.6%

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2019 (Cumulative Statistics – Italy, p. 3).

2017 (Croatia, 2nd title)[edit]

  • Edition of men's tournament: 17th
  • Host city: Hungary Budapest, Hungary
  • Number of participating teams: 16
  • Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
  • Champion:  Croatia (2nd title; 1st place in preliminary D group)
Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/6 Preliminary round – Group D 17 July 2017   Blue  United States Won 12 7 5
Match 2/6 Preliminary round – Group D 19 July 2017   Blue  Russia Won 10 8 2
Match 3/6 Preliminary round – Group D 21 July 2017   Blue  Japan Won 16 6 10
Match 4/6 Quarter-finals 25 July 2017   White  Italy Won 12 9 3
Match 5/6 Semi-finals 27 July 2017   Blue  Serbia Won 12 11 1
Match 6/6 Gold medal match 29 July 2017   Blue  Hungary Won 8 6 2
Total Matches played: 6 • Wins: 6 • Ties: 0 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 100% 70 47 23

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2017 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Left-hander Maro Joković of Croatia won his second world title in 2017, with 12 goals.
Sandro Sukno, the captain of Croatia, netted 16 goals at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships, becoming the team-leading scorer for the tournament.
Roster
Cap
No.		 Player Pos L/R Height Weight Date of birth Age of
winning gold		 ISHOF
member
1 Marko Bijač GK R 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 12 January 1991 26 years, 198 days
2 Marko Macan CB R 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 110 kg (243 lb) 26 April 1993 24 years, 94 days
3 Loren Fatović D R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 84 kg (185 lb) 16 November 1996 20 years, 255 days
4 Luka Lončar CF R 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 26 June 1987 30 years, 33 days
5 Maro Joković D L 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 1 October 1987 29 years, 301 days
6 Ivan Buljubašić CB R 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 108 kg (238 lb) 31 October 1987 29 years, 271 days
7 Ante Vukičević D R 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 24 February 1993 24 years, 155 days
8 Andro Bušlje CF R 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 115 kg (254 lb) 4 January 1986 31 years, 206 days
9 Sandro Sukno (C) D R 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 30 June 1990 27 years, 29 days
10 Ivan Krapić CF R 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 14 February 1989 28 years, 165 days
11 Anđelo Šetka D R 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) 87 kg (192 lb) 14 September 1985 31 years, 318 days
12 Xavier García D L 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 92 kg (203 lb) 5 January 1984 33 years, 205 days
13 Ivan Marcelić GK R 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 90 kg (198 lb) 18 February 1994 23 years, 161 days
Average 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 97 kg (214 lb) 6 October 1989 27 years, 296 days
Coach Ivica Tucak 8 February 1970 47 years, 171 days

Sources:

Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • Min – Minutes
  • G – Goals
  • Sh – Shots
  • AS – Rebounds
  • TF – Turnover fouls
  • ST – Steals
  • BL – Blocked shots
  • SP – Sprints
  • 20S – 20 seconds exclusion
  • DE – Double exclusion
  • Pen – Penalty
  • EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap
No.		 Player Pos MP Minutes played Goals/Shots AS TF ST BL Sprints Personal fouls
Min % G Sh % Won SP % 20S DE Pen EX
1 Marko Bijač GK 6 168 87.5% 1 8
2 Marko Macan CB 6 70 36.5% 1 3 33.3% 1 1 2 12 2
3 Loren Fatović D 6 79 41.1% 5 9 55.6% 3 3 3 1 1 7 14.3% 9 1
4 Luka Lončar CF 6 109 56.8% 11 17 64.7% 1 10 2 2 3 2
5 Maro Joković D 6 157 81.8% 12 30 40.0% 8 2 6 5 1 6 16.7% 3
6 Ivan Buljubašić CB 6 50 26.0% 1 4 25.0% 1 2 3 12 1
7 Ante Vukičević D 6 114 59.4% 6 11 54.5% 3 5 1 1 1 100% 3
8 Andro Bušlje CF 6 92 47.9% 4 12 33.3% 1 3 5 3 10 1 1 1
9 Sandro Sukno (C) D 6 132 68.8% 16 28 57.1% 12 6 11 3 0 2 0.0% 3
10 Ivan Krapić CF 6 72 37.5% 0 3 0.0% 11 2 2 2 1
11 Anđelo Šetka D 6 121 63.0% 3 17 17.6% 2 3 1 3 8 37.5% 5
12 Xavier García D 6 155 80.7% 11 26 42.3% 13 5 1 3 7
13 Ivan Marcelić GK 6 24 12.5%
Team 8
Total 6 192 100% 70 160 43.8% 46 59 44 20 6 24 25.0% 69 2 2 6
Against 47 156 30.1% 39 71 34 10 18 24 75.0% 67 2 2 7
Cap
No.		 Player Pos Saves/Shots
Saves Shots %
1 Marko Bijač GK 49 89 55.1%
13 Ivan Marcelić GK 6 13 46.2%
Total 55 102 53.9%

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2017 (Cumulative Statistics – Croatia, p. 3).

2015 (Serbia, 2nd title)[edit]

Serbia men's national water polo team celebrated after the gold medal match of the 2015 World Aquatics Championships.
  • Edition of men's tournament: 16th
  • Host city: Russia Kazan, Russia
  • Number of participating teams: 16
  • Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
  • Champion:  Serbia (2nd title; 1st place in preliminary D group)
Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/6 Preliminary round – Group D 27 July 2015   White  Montenegro Won 11 8 3
Match 2/6 Preliminary round – Group D 29 July 2015   White  Japan Won 19 9 10
Match 3/6 Preliminary round – Group D 31 July 2015   White  Australia Won 10 9 1
Match 4/6 Quarter-finals 4 August 2015   White  United States Won 12 7 5
Match 5/6 Semi-finals 6 August 2015   Blue  Italy Won 10 6 4
Match 6/6 Gold medal match 8 August 2015   Blue  Croatia Won 11 4 7
Total Matches played: 6 • Wins: 6 • Ties: 0 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 100% 73 43 30

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2015 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Živko Gocić, the captain of Serbia, won his second world title in 2015.
Duško Pijetlović, the center forward of the Serbia team, won his second world title in 2015. He was the team-leading scorer for the tournament.
Roster
Cap
No.		 Player Pos L/R Height Weight Date of birth Age of
winning gold		 ISHOF
member
1 Gojko Pijetlović GK R 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 7 August 1983 32 years, 1 day
2 Dušan Mandić D L 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 115 kg (254 lb) 16 June 1994 21 years, 53 days
3 Živko Gocić (C) D R 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 22 August 1982 32 years, 351 days
4 Sava Ranđelović CB R 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 17 July 1993 22 years, 22 days
5 Miloš Ćuk D R 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 21 December 1990 24 years, 230 days
6 Duško Pijetlović CF R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 25 April 1985 30 years, 105 days
7 Slobodan Nikić CF R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 25 January 1983 32 years, 195 days
8 Milan Aleksić CB R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 103 kg (227 lb) 13 May 1986 29 years, 87 days
9 Nikola Jakšić CB R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 99 kg (218 lb) 17 January 1997 18 years, 203 days
10 Filip Filipović D L 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 106 kg (234 lb) 2 May 1987 28 years, 98 days
11 Andrija Prlainović D R 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) 96 kg (212 lb) 28 April 1987 28 years, 102 days
12 Stefan Mitrović D R 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 29 March 1988 27 years, 132 days
13 Branislav Mitrović GK R 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 102 kg (225 lb) 30 January 1985 30 years, 190 days
Average 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 101 kg (223 lb) 28 January 1988 27 years, 192 days
Coach Dejan Savić 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 24 April 1975 40 years, 106 days

Note: Duško Pijetlović and Gojko Pijetlović are brothers.
Sources:

Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • Min – Minutes
  • G – Goals
  • Sh – Shots
  • AS – Assists
  • TF – Turnover fouls
  • ST – Steals
  • BL – Blocked shots
  • SP – Sprints
  • 20S – 20 seconds exclusion
  • DE – Double exclusion
  • Pen – Penalty
  • EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap
No.		 Player Pos MP Minutes played Goals/Shots AS TF ST BL SP
won		 Personal fouls
Min % G Sh % 20S DE Pen EX
1 Gojko Pijetlović GK 6 84 43.8% 2
2 Dušan Mandić D 6 111 57.8% 7 15 46.7% 6 6 5 1 6
3 Živko Gocić (C) D 6 116 60.4% 3 8 37.5% 2 3 5 1 5
4 Sava Ranđelović CB 6 60 31.3% 1 7 14.3% 2 2 3 3 13 2
5 Miloš Ćuk D 6 98 51.0% 6 17 35.3% 2 4 3 1 2 1
6 Duško Pijetlović CF 6 97 50.5% 11 17 64.7% 2 4 2 3 6 1
7 Slobodan Nikić CF 6 98 51.0% 9 18 50.0% 2 2 2 3
8 Milan Aleksić CB 6 85 44.3% 7 18 38.9% 5 6 2 9
9 Nikola Jakšić CB 6 68 35.4% 4 8 50.0% 3 8
10 Filip Filipović D 6 137 71.4% 7 26 26.9% 7 8 5 2 5 1
11 Andrija Prlainović D 6 155 80.7% 9 23 39.1% 6 11 9 2 2 1
12 Stefan Mitrović D 6 126 65.6% 9 19 47.4% 3 5 5 2 2 1
13 Branislav Mitrović GK 6 108 56.3% 2
Total 6 192 100% 73 176 41.5% 35 54 42 18 4 60 0 3 3
Against 43 153 28.1% 6 86 21 11 20 50 0 1 5
Cap
No.		 Player Pos Saves/Shots
Saves Shots %
1 Gojko Pijetlović GK 18 42 42.9%
13 Branislav Mitrović GK 35 54 64.8%
Total 53 96 55.2%

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2015 (Cumulative Statistics – Serbia, p. 2).

2013 (Hungary, 3rd title)[edit]

  • Edition of men's tournament: 15th
  • Host city: Spain Barcelona, Spain
  • Number of participating teams: 16
  • Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
  • Champion:  Hungary (3rd title;2nd place in preliminary C group)
Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/7 Preliminary round – Group C 22 July 2013   White  China Won 13 5 8
Match 2/7 Preliminary round – Group C 24 July 2013   Blue  Serbia Lost 10 13 -3
Match 3/7 Preliminary round – Group C 26 July 2013   White  Australia Drawn 9 9 0
Match 4/7 Quarter-final qualification 28 July 2013   White  Kazakhstan Won 16 7 9
Match 5/7 Quarter-finals 30 July 2013   Blue  Greece Won 9 3 6
Match 6/7 Semi-finals 1 August 2013   White  Croatia Won 11 10 1
Match 7/7 Gold medal match 3 August 2013   White  Montenegro Won 8 7 1
Total Matches played: 7 • Wins: 5 • Ties: 1 • Defeats: 1 • Win %: 71.4% 76 54 22

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2013 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Márton Szívós scored 12 goals at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships, helping Hungary win gold.
Dénes Varga of Hungary netted 13 goals at the 2013 World Championship, becoming the team-leading scorer for the tournament.
Roster
Cap
No.		 Player Pos L/R Height Weight Date of birth Age of
winning gold		 ISHOF
member
1 Viktor Nagy GK R 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 24 July 1984 29 years, 10 days
2 Miklós Gór-Nagy CB R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 8 January 1983 30 years, 207 days
3 Norbert Madaras D L 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 1 December 1979 33 years, 245 days
4 Bence Bátori D R 28 December 1991 21 years, 218 days
5 Márton Vámos D L 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 105 kg (231 lb) 24 June 1992 21 years, 40 days
6 Norbert Hosnyánszky D R 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 102 kg (225 lb) 4 March 1984 29 years, 152 days
7 Ádám Decker CB R 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 29 February 1984 29 years, 156 days
8 Márton Szívós D R 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 19 August 1981 31 years, 349 days
9 Dániel Varga (C) D R 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 25 September 1983 29 years, 312 days
10 Dénes Varga D R 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 29 March 1987 26 years, 127 days
11 Krisztián Bedő CF R 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 107 kg (236 lb) 4 May 1993 20 years, 91 days
12 Balázs Hárai CF R 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) 110 kg (243 lb) 5 April 1987 26 years, 120 days
13 Attila Decker GK R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 94 kg (207 lb) 25 August 1987 25 years, 343 days
Average 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)[b] 99 kg (218 lb)[c] 30 March 1986 27 years, 126 days
Coach Tibor Benedek 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 12 July 1972 41 years, 22 days 2016

Note: Ádám Decker and Attila Decker are brothers; Dániel Varga and Dénes Varga are brothers.
Sources:

Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • Min – Minutes
  • G – Goals
  • Sh – Shots
  • AS – Assists
  • TF – Turnover fouls
  • ST – Steals
  • BL – Blocked shots
  • SP – Sprints
  • 20S – 20 seconds exclusion
  • DE – Double exclusion
  • Pen – Penalty
  • EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap
No.		 Player Pos MP Minutes played Goals/Shots AS TF ST BL Sprints Personal fouls
Min % G Sh % Won SP % 20S DE Pen EX
1 Viktor Nagy GK 7 192 85.7% 1 1 6 1
2 Miklós Gór-Nagy CB 7 80 35.7% 2 8 25.0% 1 1 2 1 14 3
3 Norbert Madaras D 7 164 73.2% 6 32 18.8% 10 4 2 4 0 1 0.0% 3
4 Bence Bátori D 7 72 32.1% 3 7 42.9% 5 2 3 10 30.0% 1 1
5 Márton Vámos D 7 134 59.8% 12 16 75.0% 3 2 4 3 3 7 42.9% 7 1
6 Norbert Hosnyánszky D 7 119 53.1% 7 16 43.8% 3 3 3 3 10 1 1
7 Ádám Decker CB 7 70 31.3% 2 3 66.7% 1 4 14 1 1 5
8 Márton Szívós D 7 148 66.1% 12 25 48.0% 3 5 6 4 0 1 0.0% 7 1
9 Dániel Varga (C) D 7 165 73.7% 5 21 23.8% 9 3 6 4 0 1 0.0% 8
10 Dénes Varga D 7 174 77.7% 13 25 52.0% 4 4 5 3 4 8 50.0% 5 1
11 Krisztián Bedő CF 7 91 40.6% 6 13 46.2% 1 15 1 1 5
12 Balázs Hárai CF 7 126 56.3% 8 15 53.3% 1 26 2 4 5
13 Attila Decker GK 7 32 14.3% 1 1
Team 4
Total 7 224 100% 76 181 42.0% 37 78 40 27 10 28 35.7% 79 2 4 11
Against 54 186 29.0% 28 85 40 17 18 28 64.3% 70 2 3 8
Cap
No.		 Player Pos Saves/Shots
Saves Shots %
1 Viktor Nagy GK 54 99 54.5%
13 Attila Decker GK 11 20 55.0%
Total 65 119 54.6%

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2013 (Cumulative Statistics – Hungary, p. 2).

2011 (Italy, 3rd title)[edit]

  • Edition of men's tournament: 14th
  • Host city: China Shanghai, China
  • Number of participating teams: 16
  • Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
  • Champion:  Italy (3rd title; 1st place in preliminary D group)
Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/6 Preliminary round – Group D 18 July 2011   White  South Africa Won 17 1 16
Match 2/6 Preliminary round – Group D 20 July 2011   Blue  United States Won 8 5 3
Match 3/6 Preliminary round – Group D 22 July 2011   White  Germany Won 7 6 1
Match 4/6 Quarter-finals 26 July 2011   White  Spain Won 10 6 4
Match 5/6 Semi-finals 28 July 2011   Blue  Croatia Won 9 8 1
Match 6/6 Gold medal match 30 July 2011   Blue  Serbia Won 8 7 1
Total Matches played: 6 • Wins: 6 • Ties: 0 • Defeats: 0 • Win %: 100% 59 33 26

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2011 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Stefano Tempesti, the captain of Italy, saved 64 shots at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships.
Roster
Cap
No.		 Player Pos L/R Height Weight Date of birth Age of
winning gold		 ISHOF
member
1 Stefano Tempesti (C) GK R 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) 99 kg (218 lb) 9 June 1979 32 years, 51 days
2 Amaurys Pérez CB R 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 80 kg (176 lb) 18 March 1976 35 years, 134 days
3 Niccolò Gitto CB R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 82 kg (181 lb) 12 October 1986 24 years, 291 days
4 Pietro Figlioli D R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 98 kg (216 lb) 29 May 1984 27 years, 62 days
5 Alex Giorgetti D R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 83 kg (183 lb) 24 December 1987 23 years, 218 days
6 Maurizio Felugo D R 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 4 March 1981 30 years, 148 days
7 Niccolò Figari CB R 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 95 kg (209 lb) 24 January 1988 23 years, 187 days
8 Valentino Gallo D L 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 93 kg (205 lb) 17 July 1985 26 years, 13 days
9 Christian Presciutti D R 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 85 kg (187 lb) 27 November 1982 28 years, 245 days
10 Deni Fiorentini CB R 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 86 kg (190 lb) 5 June 1984 27 years, 55 days
11 Matteo Aicardi CF R 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) 104 kg (229 lb) 19 April 1986 25 years, 102 days
12 Arnaldo Deserti FP R 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) 100 kg (220 lb) 18 April 1979 32 years, 103 days
13 Giacomo Pastorino GK R 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 89 kg (196 lb) 7 June 1980 31 years, 53 days
Average 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 91 kg (201 lb) 22 April 1983 28 years, 99 days
Coach Alessandro Campagna 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) 26 June 1963 48 years, 34 days 2019

Sources:

Abbreviation
  • MP – Matches played
  • Min – Minutes
  • G – Goals
  • Sh – Shots
  • AS – Assists
  • TF – Turnover fouls
  • ST – Steals
  • BL – Blocked shots
  • SP – Sprints
  • 20S – 20 seconds exclusion
  • Pen – Penalty
  • EX – Exclusion
Statistics
Cap
No.		 Player Pos MP Minutes played Goals/Shots AS TF ST BL Sprints Personal fouls
Min % G Sh % Won SP % 20S Pen EX
1 Stefano Tempesti (C) GK 6 198 100% 9 1
2 Amaurys Pérez CB 6 80 40.4% 2 9 22.2% 1 2 2 10 1
3 Niccolò Gitto CB 6 89 44.9% 3 9 33.3% 1 3 1 2 9 1 2
4 Pietro Figlioli D 6 134 67.7% 7 27 25.9% 7 9 3 4 15 15 100% 3
5 Alex Giorgetti D 6 111 56.1% 8 20 40.0% 2 3 7 1 1 2 50.0% 3
6 Maurizio Felugo D 6 141 71.2% 6 19 31.6% 2 8 7 1 1
7 Niccolò Figari CB 6 61 30.8% 2 5 40.0% 2 4 1 3 8 1
8 Valentino Gallo D 6 130 65.7% 7 24 29.2% 5 6 1 5 2
9 Christian Presciutti D 6 152 76.8% 8 13 61.5% 4 5 5 1 3
10 Deni Fiorentini CB 6 102 51.5% 3 8 37.5% 2 2 1 8 9 88.9% 5 1
11 Matteo Aicardi CF 6 97 49.0% 9 24 37.5% 21 4 1 4
12 Arnaldo Deserti FP 6 91 46.0% 4 13 30.8% 10 1 7 1 1
13 Giacomo Pastorino GK 6 0 0.0% 1
Team 2
Total 6 198 100% 59 171 34.5% 24 75 40 22 24 26 92.3% 55 4 6
Against 33 145 22.8% 15 103 33 20 2 26 7.7% 53 3 3
Cap
No.		 Player Pos Saves/Shots
Saves Shots %
1 Stefano Tempesti (C) GK 64 97 66.0%
13 Giacomo Pastorino GK
Total 64 97 66.0%

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2011 (Cumulative Statistics – Italy, p. 3).

2009 (Serbia, 1st title)[edit]

  • Edition of men's tournament: 13th
  • Host city: Italy Rome, Italy
  • Number of participating teams: 16
  • Competition format: Round-robin pools advanced teams to classification matches
  • Champion:  Serbia (1st title; 2nd place in preliminary C group)
Results
Match Round Date Cap
color		 Opponent Result Goals
for		 Goals
against		 Goals
diff.
Match 1/7 Preliminary round – Group C 20 July 2009   White  Spain Lost 9 11 -2
Match 2/7 Preliminary round – Group C 22 July 2009   Blue  Kazakhstan Won 20 3 17
Match 3/7 Preliminary round – Group C 24 July 2009   White  Australia Drawn 8 8 0
Match 4/7 Quarter-final qualification 26 July 2009   White  Italy Won 7 5 2
Match 5/7 Quarter-finals 28 July 2009   Blue  Hungary Won 10 9 1
Match 6/7 Semi-finals 30 July 2009   White  Croatia Won 12 11 1
Match 7/7 Gold medal match 1 August 2009   White  Spain Won 14 13 1
Total Matches played: 7 • Wins: 5 • Ties: 1 • Defeats: 1 • Win %: 71.4% 80 60 20

Source: Official Results Books (PDF): 2009 (Men's Competition Schedule, Men's Round Summary).

Vanja Udovičić, the captain of Serbia, won his second world title in 2009.