Australia caused a big upset on the opening day of the Men’s World Cup Final Eight in Sydney.
The “Sharks” defeated the defending champion, Spain, after a penalty shootout, 23:21 (18:18), reaching the semifinals, along with Italy, Greece, and Hungary.
Spain arrived in Sydney without several key players, including Granados and Munarriz. In contrast, Australia fielded its strongest squad. An intriguing encounter was anticipated, but Spain was still considered the favorite. A rejuvenated Spanish team controlled most of the match; however, the hosts equalized less than two seconds before the end. Australia then secured victory in the penalty shootout.
Greece also had a demanding task in the quarterfinals. The Greeks defeated Montenegro 14:13. They had a five-goal lead in the first half, but Montenegro made a comeback and was very near to securing a penalty shootout.
Italy convincingly beat Georgia, 18:12.
Hungary beat a very young Croatian team, 16:11. But the Croats didn’t disappoint, offering strong ressistance to the favorite.
On Saturday, Hungary will play against Australia in the semifinals, and Greece and Italy will face off in the other semifinal encounter.
The first matches in the 5th-8th place classification (Montenegro – Georgia and Spain – Croatia) will take place on Friday.
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2026 World Aquatics Men’s World Cup Final Eight, Quarterfinals
(quarters 6:3, 5:6, 5:4, 2:5, PSO 3:5)
Spain: Sanahuja 7, Valera 4, Biel 3, Valls 2, Cabanas 1, Tahull 1.
Australia: Mercep 6, Berehulak 4, Byrnes 3, Edwards 2, Constantin-Bicari 1.
Penalty shootout: Krstic 0:1, Sanahuja 1:1; Mercep 1:2, Valera – saved by Barker; Berehulak 1:3, Biel 2:3; Glanzing 2:4, Valls 3:4; Byrnes 3:5
Spain was in control for most of the match, but it failed to hold on until the final buzzer. Matthew Byrnes scored a dramatic equalizer with just two seconds remaining (18:18), before Australia kept its composure in the penalty shootout to book a place in the semifinals.
Australia struck first and twice held the lead in the opening period (2:1 and 3:2), only for Spain to respond with four unanswered goals in less than three minutes to take a 6:3 advantage before the second quarter.
Midway through the second period, Spain stretched its lead to four goals (9:5 and 10:6). However, the “Sharks,” fueled by a passionate home crowd, refused to surrender. They cut the deficit to 10:8 and later 11:9, creating several more opportunities to get even closer. Nevertheless, Spain carried a two-goal advantage into halftime, leaving the semifinal race wide open.
Spain twice restored a four-goal cushion in the third quarter (14:10 and 16:12), but Australia continued to fight and trailed by only three goals, 16:13, heading into the final eight minutes.
The hosts won the opening sprint of the fourth quarter and immediately earned a man-up opportunity, which Edwards converted to make it 16:14. Australia’s defense then kept Spain under pressure, but the hosts wasted three extra-player opportunities, a missed chance that appeared costly. In the 27th minute, Spain increased its lead to 17:14 through a penalty converted by Sanahuja. The penalty was awarded after Spain head coach David Martín successfully called a challenge for a VAR review.
Berehulak answered for Australia, but time was running out. After several missed opportunities, the hosts finally pulled within one goal with 81 seconds remaining as Jacob Mercep scored his sixth goal to make it 17:16.
Matthew Byrnes (Australia) Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
Sanahuja responded immediately, adding the seventh goal to his tally (18:16). Yet Australia still had one last surge left. Matthew Byrnes struck to reduce the deficit to 18:17 before Spain turned the ball over on its next possession.
Australia launched one final counterattack. Berehulak found the net with seven seconds remaining, but the goal was disallowed. The hosts retained possession, however, and after the restart, Byrnes took responsibility. His shot with just two seconds left slipped. The ball went under Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Aguirre’s arms and barely crossed the goal line, 18:18, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
Scoring 18 goals against Spain is a big feat by itself, but Australia didn’t stop there. The hosts held their nerves from the five-meter line. The decisive moment came when 23-year-old goalkeeper Laurence Barker made the only save of the shootout, securing a historic victory for the hosts.
Australia advanced to the semifinals of a major tournament for the first time since claiming bronze in the 2019 World League in Belgrade—a tournament in which the “Aussies” defeated Spain in the third-place match.
(quarters 7:3, 2:3, 3:4, 2:3)
Greece: Argyropoulos 4, Gkiouvetsis 2, Spachits 2.Papanastasiou 1, Kalogeropoulos 1, Chalyvopoulos 1, Skoumpakis 1, Kalogeropoulos 1, Kakaris 1, Alafragkis 1.
Montenegro: Gojkovic 5, Markovic 2, V.Radovic 2, Stupar 2, Sladovic 1, Vuckovic 1,
An encounter between two teams that arrived with almost all of their top players—unlike several other European powerhouses—was considered the derby of the quarterfinals.
Greece made a superb start and controlled the match for most of the contest, but it had to survive a dramatic finish. Montenegro had the final possession and a chance to force a penalty shootout, yet failed to capitalize.
Greece was nearly flawless in the opening quarter. Although Montenegro scored the first goal of the match, the Greek defense, commanded by Panagiotis Tzotzatos, quickly settled in, while the offense was excellent, with constant movement, crisp passing, and accurate shooting from every position. The Greeks raced to a 7:3 lead in the opening eight minutes, scoring seven goals from their 11 shots.
Efsthatios Kalogeropoulos (Greece) photo by Krsto Vulovic
Alafragkis scored on a man-up opportunity early in the second quarter to extend the advantage to 8:3, and it appeared Greece was on course for a comfortable victory. However, Montenegro responded by tightening its defense and gradually working its way back into the game. The deficit was reduced to 9:6 by halftime, and Strahinja Gojkovic made it 9:7 in the 19th minute.
Greece answered with two quick goals to restore its four-goal cushion at 11:7. Still, Montenegro refused to give up. Danilo Stupar finished a counterattack with 37 seconds remaining in the third period to cut the deficit to 11:10. Greece had the final possession of the quarter and earned a man-up opportunity, which Spachits converted to give his team a 12:10 lead heading into the last eight minutes.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Greece rebuilt its four-goal lead (14:10). However, the Montenegrins mounted one final comeback, scoring twice in quick succession to close within 14:12. They then missed a couple of opportunities to narrow the gap further.
With just 30 seconds remaining, Greece appeared to seal the victory by scoring what seemed to be its 15th goal for 15:12. However, Montenegro head coach Dejan Savic called a challenge, asking for a VAR review of a situation that had occurred moments earlier. The review confirmed his claim: Chalyvopoulos was shown a red card for a foul on Gojkovic, and Greece’s goal was canceled. Instead, Montenegro was awarded a man-up opportunity, which Sladovic converted to make it 14:13 and set up a thrilling finish.
Greece then turned the ball over with eight seconds left, prompting Savic to call a timeout and organize a 7-on-6 attack for the final possession. Montenegro had one last chance to force a penalty shootout, but Vasilije Radovic struck the crossbar with one second remaining, allowing Greece to hold on for a one-goal victory.
(quarters 4:2, 3:3,6:3, 5:4)
Italy: Condemi 3, Ferrero 3, Cassia 2, Cannella 2, Iocchi Gratta 2, Guerrato 1, Dolce 1, Gianazza 1, Del Basso 1, Carnessechi 1, Alesiani 1.
Georgia: Adeishvili 3, Dadvani 3, Vasic 2, Akhvlediani 2, Bitadze 1, Rogac 1.
Italy’s powerful start and a 4:0 lead set the tone of the match. The “Settebello” had ups and downs in the rest of the game, but never let the rival equalize. Georgia, led by Valiko Dadvani, reduced the gap to two goals on several occasions. In the 14th minute, Dadvani scored his third goal (4:6), but 14 seconds later he was sent off (an exclusion with substitution). Iocchi Gratta made it 7:4 from a 6-on-5 after Dadvani’s exclusion.
Matteo Iocchi Gratta (Italy) Photo by Krsto Vulović.
However, even without one of their best players, the Georgians continued chasing the Italians. Adeishvili made it 6:7 in the 17th minute. However, Italy refound its rhythm and entered the final period with a safe 13:8 advantage and controlled the game until the end.
(quarters 5:5, 4:3, 4:2, 3:1)
Hungary: Fekete 4, Ven. Vigvari 4, Manhercz 3, Zalanki 2, Szalai 1, Kovacs 1, Vismeg 1.
Croatia: Curkovic 2, Pavlic 2, Susic 1, Dragosevic 1, Zilic 1, Brubnjak 1, Tonicic 1, Dobric 1, Dragas 1.
Hungary, with a returnee to the team, Gergo Zalanki, was a heavy favorite in the last match of the day because Croatia fielded almost a junior team.
The young Croats started bravely, quickly earning a 2:0 lead. They kept a 2-goal advantage until 4:2. Hungary leveled at 4:4. Fran Dobric put Croatia in front once again – 5:4. Still, Vendel Vigvari beat the buzzer to level at 5:5.
Krisztian Manhercz gave Hungary the first lead in the match, 6:5, from a counterattack. Tonicic responded immediately with an extra player. Hungary then netted two back-to-back goals, 8:6. Still, Croatia didn’t say the last word. Only a goal separated the rivals at half-time, with Hungary leading 9:8. An excellent performance by captain and goalkeeper Mauro Ivan Cubranic helped Croatia to keep up with the Hungarians significantly.
Gergo Fekete (Hungary) Photo by Krsto Vulovic
In the third period, the Hungarians started breaking Croatia’s resistance. The Hungarians earned a 4-goal lead for the first time in the 23rd minute, when Zalanki made it 13:9. However, the favorites couldn’t relax in the remaining time, as Croatia continued chasing them. Early in the third period, the Croats reduced the gap to two (11:13). But Manhercz and Vigvari responded quickly; Hungary went to 15:11, proving it won’t allow a surprise to happen.
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