Two teams each from Croatia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Hungary, and Georgia, along with one team each from Russia and the Netherlands, advanced to the second round of the Conference Cup.
The first round was played this weekend in five cities. According to the regulations, the top three teams from the five-team groups (A, B, and D) and the top two teams from the four-team groups (C and E) qualified. The final spot went to the better third-placed team from Group C or Group E.
De Akker, the winner of last season’s inaugural Conference Cup, finished 3rd in Group E and took the last ticket.
Qualified teams – Group A: Solaris (Croatia), Ydraikos (Greece), ZV De Zaan (Netherlands); Group B: Panionios (Greece), Zadar 1952 (Croatia), Spartak Volgograd (Russia); Group C: Trieste (Italy), Olymp Tbiilisi (Georgia); Group D: Vasas (Hungary), Szeged (Hungary), Iberia Tbilisi (Georgia). Group E: Sant Andreu (Spain), Mataro (Spain), De Akker (Italy).
Besides those 14, the teams that failed to qualify for the Euro Cup Group Stage will also compete in the Conference Cup Round 2. Those ten teams are: Galatasaray, Enka (both Turkiye), Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia), ASC Duisburg, White Sharks Hannover (both Germany), Sintez Kazan (Russia), Vouliameni (Greece), Dinamo Bucharest (Romania), Buducnost (Montenegro) and Primorje (Croatia).
There were few surprises in the Conference Cup Round 1. Almost all teams that were expected to advance qualified for the next stage.
However, De Akker Bologna (Italy), the 2025 Conference Cup winner, struggled to find its way to the next stage. The Italians qualified as the third-placed team in Group E, as they accumulated more points than ZVL 1886 (Netherlands), the third-placed team in Group C.
De Akker played against two Spanish clubs in the group in Mataro. On Day 1, De Akker faced Mataro. The hosts won in a penalty shootout, 12:9, after only 16 goals in regular time (8:8). Sant Andreu defeated the Italians 12:10 in the second round. However, the point that De Akker earned in the match against Mataro was very important. De Akker confirmed its place in the second round this afternoon, defeating underdog Turkish Heybeliada by 13 goals, 25:12.
Fortunately for the Italians, ZVL won only three points in Group C in Tbilisi, beating City of Manchester 18:12. The Dutch lost to Trieste and host Olymp.
All five group winners completed the qualifications with a perfect record.
Solaris beat all four rivals on home soil in Group A in Sibenik. Panionios did the same in Group B in Athens. Trieste water polo players cruised to three wins in Group C.
Vasas won 1st place in Group D in Szeged. The former Champions League and the Euro Cup winner secured the top spot, beating Szeged in the Hungarian derby today – 15:12.
Mataro kept a perfect record in Group E, beating Sant Andreu in the clash of the Spanish teams in Group E today – 13:9.
As for the other matches, the most interesting battle for 3rd place took place in Szeged. Iberia Tbilisi took 3rd place with a narrow 9:8 win over OSC Potsdam. The Germans entered the final minute leading 8:7, but the Georgian team netted two goals in the final 44 seconds to secure three crucial points.
2027 Conference Cup, Round 1
Group A (Sibenik)
Round 1: Adalar – Ydraikos 10:31, Solaris – De Zaan 13:10; Round 2: De Zaan – Montpellier 17:10, Solaris – Adalar 25:6; Round 3: De Zaan – Ydraikos 8:17, Solaris – Montpellier 21:17; Round 4: Adalar – Montpelleier 17:25, Solaris – Ydraikos 15:12. Round 5: Montpellier – Ydraikos 7:19, De Zaan – Adalar 22:8.
Standings: 1. Solaris (CRO) 12, 2. Ydraikos (GRE) 9, 3. ZV De Zaan (NED) 6, 4. Montpellier (FRA) 3, 5. Adalar (TUR) 0
Group B (Athens)
Round 1: Canstatt – Panionios 6:23, Zadar – Spartak 15:13. Round 2: Spartak – Canstatt 15:8, Zadar – Vitoria 18:10, Round 3: Vitoria – Spartak 12:23, Panionios – Zadar 13:8; Round 4: Canstatt – Zadar 8:25, Panionios – Vitoria 22:8; Round 5: Vitoria – Canstatt 16:13, Spartak – Panionios 11:12
Standings: 1. Panionios (GRE) 12, 2. Zadar 1952 (CRO) 9, 3. Spartak Volgograd (RUS) 6, 4. Vittoria SC (POR) 3, 5. Cannstatt 1898 (GER) 0.
Group C (Tbilisi)
Round 1: Trieste – ZVL 1886 25:9, Olymp Tbilisi – City of Manchester 16:10; Round 2: Trieste – City of Manchester 27:5, Olymp Tbilisi – ZVL 1886 14:10; Round 3: Trieste – Olymp Tbilisi 26:10, ZVL 1886 – City of Manchester 18:12.
Standings: 1. Trieste (ITA) 9, 2. Olymp (GEO) 6, 3. ZVL-1886 (NED) 3, 4. Manchester (GBR) 0.
Group D (Szeged)
Round 1: Vasas – Iberia Tbilisi 16:8, Szeged – Banja Luka 34:3; Round 2: OSC Potsdam – Iberia Tbilisi 8:9, Vasas – Banja Luka 27:2; Round 3: Szeged – OSC Potsdam 17:9, Banja Luka – Iberia Tbilisi 6:27, Round 4: OSC Potsdam – Vasas 7:21, Szeged – Iberia Tbilisi 17:8; Round 5: Banja Luka – OSC Potsdam 9:27, Szeged – Vasas 12:15.
Standings: 1. Vasas (HUN) 12, 2. Szeged (HUN) 9, 3. Iberia (GEO) 6, 4. OSC Potsdam (GER) 0, 5. Banja Luka (BiH) 0.
Group E (Mataro)
Round 1: Heybeliada – Sant Andreu 7:20, Mataro – De Akker 12:9, PSO (8:8 – 4:1); Round 2: Mataro – Heybelieda 30:6, Sant Andreu – De Akker 12:10; Round 3: Mataro – Sant Andreu 13:9, De Akker – Heybeliada 25:12
Standings: 1. Mataro (ESP) 8, 2. Sant Andreu (ESP) 6, 3. De Akker (ITA) 4, 4. Heybeliada (TUR) 0.
More articles about the Conference Cup
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
