The new European club season will begin on 18 September with the Champions League Qualification Round.
European Aquatics has recently introduced several small but significant changes to the competition format, primarily affecting the Champions League Qualifications and the Euro Cup.
According to the latest version of the regulations, the most notable change concerns the clubs finishing 2nd and 3rd in the leagues of the countries ranked 1st to 10th in the European Aquatics Club Country Rankings. In the 2025/26 season, the 3rd-placed teams qualified directly for the Euro Cup Group Stage. In the upcoming season, however, they will no longer receive automatic qualification and will instead have to compete in the Euro Cup Qualification Round alongside all other entrants.
At the same time, the runners-up from the top 10 leagues have been given an advantage. Every club entering the Champions League Qualifications is now guaranteed to continue its European campaign in the group stage of one of the top two European competitions.
Under the previous system, teams eliminated in the Champions League Qualification Round dropped into the Euro Cup Qualification Round. Under the new format, clubs that fail to qualify for the Champions League Group Stage will automatically advance to the Euro Cup Group Stage, ensuring they remain in European competition without having to play additional qualification matches.
European Men’s Clubs Country ranking 2026: 1. Italy, 2. Hungary, 3. Spain, 4. Serbia, 5. Greece, 6. Croatia, 7. France, 8. Romania, 9. Germany, 10. Montenegro, 11. Georgia, 12. Turkiye, etc.
Total Waterpolo brings the lists of the teams qualified for the top European competitions.
Champions League
Federations ranked 1st to 10th in the European Aquatics Men’s Clubs Country Ranking can enter their top two clubs. The 11th- and 12th-ranked nations are allowed to enter their national champions.
The champions from the top 10 countries are directly qualified for the Group Stage, while all other clubs have to start from the Qualification Round.
Directly qualified for the Group Stage (four groups of four teams): Ferencvaros (Hungary), Pro Recco (Italy), Barceloneta (Spain), Radnicki (Serbia), Olympiacos (Greece), Mladost Zagreb (Croatia), Marseille (France), Waspo 98 Hannover (Germany), Steaua (Romania), Jadran Herceg Novi (Montenegro).
Eligible to participate in the Qualification Round: Brescia (Italy), Honved (Hungary), Sabadell (Spain), Novi Beograd (Serbia), Panathinaikos (Greece), Jadran Split (Croatia), Strasbourg (France), Spandau 04 (Germany), Oradea (Romania), Budva (Montenegro), Apollon Sport Management (Georgia), Galatasaray (Turkey).
*The champions of the countries ranked 11th and 12th (Georgia and Turkey) have the option to decline participation in the Qualifications and instead enter the Euro Cup. However, considering the changes in the competition format, it is likely that both teams will participate in the Champions League if they aim to compete in the group stage of one of the top two club competitions.
The teams that don’t advance from the Champions League Group Stage to the Quarter Final Stage will play in the Euro Cup eighth-finals.
Euro Cup
Countries ranked 1st to 10th in the Men’s Clubs Country ranking may submit entries for two clubs that finished 3rd and 4th in their leagues. Federations that are ranked 11th and 12th in the Men’s Clubs Country ranking may submit entries for the top two clubs (with the already mentioned addition that the champions of these countries can choose which competition they will participate in).
Besides, the Conference League winner (De Akker, Italy) has the right to choose to play in the Euro Cup Men.
Directly qualified for the group stage (four groups of four teams): the teams eliminated from the Champions League Qualifications.
Eligible to participate in the Qualification Round: Savona, Posillipo (Italy), BVSC, Szolnok (Hungary), Barcelona, Terrassa (Spain), Sabac, Crvena Zvezda (Serbia), Apollon, Vouliagmeni (Greece), Jug, Primorje (Croatia), Pays d’Aix, Nice (France), ASC Duisburg, White Sharks Hannover (Germany), Dinamo Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest (Romania), Primorac, Buducnost (Montenegro), Galatasaray, ENKA (Turkiye), A-Polo Sport Management, Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia), De Akker Bologna (Italy, the Conference Cup winner).
Galatasaray and A-Polo can choose whether to play in the Champions League or the Euro Cup Qualifications, and De Akker has the right to refuse to play in the Euro Cup and to start in the Conference Cup. De Akker is qualified for the Conference Cup both as the defending champion and as 5th-placed team in Italy.
At most six clubs will be transferred from the Champions League Qualifiers to the Euro Cup, meaning at least 10 clubs from the Qualifiers will advance to the Group Stage.
The clubs that don’t qualify for the Group Stage can continue the season in the 2nd round of the qualifications for the Conference Cup.
Conference Cup
Federations ranked 1st to 10th in the Men’s Clubs Country Ranking may enter the clubs that finished 5th and 6th in their leagues. Federations ranked 11th to 12th may enter three clubs placed 3rd-5th in their championships.
Federations ranked 13th and below may enter their national championships. But, these clubs may decline participation in the Conference Cup Men and instead participate in the Challenger Cup.
According to the rules, the previous season’s Challenger Cup winner also has the right to compete in the following season’s Conference Cup Men, regardless of its position in the national ranking or final standing in the national championships.
Galatasaray won the 2026 Challenger Cup. Therefore, the doors of all four competitions are open for the Turkish club, which can choose whether it will start the season in the Champions League, the Euro Cup, the Conference Cup, or the Challenger Cup, as the defending champion.
Directly qualified for the Qualification Round 2: the teams eliminated from the Euro Cup Qualifications.
Eligible to participate in the Qualification Round 1: Trieste and De Akker (Italy), Vasas, Szeged (Hungary), Mataro, Sant Andreu (Spain), Partizan, Valis (Serbia), Panionios, PAOK (Greece), Solaris, Zadar 1952 (Croatia), Sete, Montpellier (France), OSC Potsdam and Cannstatt (Germany), CSU Oradea, Sportul Studentesc (Romania), Cattaro (Montenegro), Galatasaray (Turkiye, the Conference Cup winner), the teams that finished in 3rd, 4th and 5th place in Turkey and Georgia and the champions of the countries ranked 13th and bellow.
The number of teams advancing to Round 2 will be determined by the number of participating clubs.
Only the teams from countries ranked 13th and lower in the Men’s Clubs Country ranking that did not qualify for the Conference Cup Qualification Round 2 will qualify for the Challenger Cup Qualification Round 2.
Challenger Cup
Participating teams: The six best-ranked clubs in the national championships of the countries ranked 13th and lower, and Galatasaray (Turkiye, the defending champion)
All participating teams will begin in Qualification Round 1. The competition formula and the number of teams progressing to Round 2 will be defined according to the number of participating clubs.
If any of the clubs from countries ranked 13th or lower choose to participate in the Conference Cup and do not advance to Round 2 of that competition, they will instead continue the season in the Challenger Cup Qualification Round 2.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
