February 2026

With the Champions League Quarter Final Group Stage draw set, European Aquatics caught up with FTC-Telekom Waterpolo head coach Balázs Nyéki to get his thoughts on the next phase and their highly anticipated clashes with Pro Recco. “At this moment, FTC and Recco is the biggest rivalry in water polo,” said Nyeki. “Those games will be a huge pleasure for everybody. “I think Recco arrived back to the highest level this year. Also last year they were good, but of course it’s a different team with new players. They had good transfers in the summer and I think they are one of the best teams at this moment. “So that’s why you could see we had a great match [in the Super Cup] – I think the most entertaining match in the last 10 years of the Super Cup against them and everybody could enjoy it. “I think it will be something similar in the next two matches. We hope we can beat them in the first match in Budapest, but it will be very difficult for sure, because both teams have the best players in the world.” Nyeki’s interview with European Aquatics can be seen in full in the latest edition of Water Polo World, which can be viewed on the link below, or on the European Aquatics YouTube channel. Watch Champions League action live on European Aquatics TV For full Champions League fixtures, results, stats and tables, click here Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram Andy Rollé for European Aquatics

1. Italy is the only country with two teams in the Quarter Final Stage, with Recco and Brescia both advancing from the Group Stage. Hungary, Spain, Greece, Serbia, Croatia and, surprisingly, Germany are also part of the show with one club apiece. Brescia, having played back-to-back semis in 2021 and 2022, are back in the top eight after two calmer seasons. Their reshaped team have enjoyed a fine run so far and produced one of the biggest upsets in the Group Stage by beating title-holders Ferencvaros in Budapest. Recco remained the only unbeaten team in the field, maintaining a perfect record throughout the six rounds. In fact, their last game in Split, a match with nothing at stake, was the closest one as they only won by two; previously, they had 4+ goal victories. 2. The Group Stage produced two big falls – Radnicki Kragujevac and Marseille failed to reach the next round despite their star-studded line-ups. These two teams were put together to be in the race for the Final Four berths, let alone for the trophy if we think of Radnicki and their golden line of Olympic champions, but they did not even make the QF Stage. It’s a big setback for the French, who managed to make the Final Four for the first time last season, and they kicked off their campaign in a way which suggested they had set nothing less as their target for this year. Marseille’s two big wins in the first two rounds were brilliant as they hit 20 against Hannover and claimed an astonishing away win in Barceloneta. What came next was anything but expected. Losing at home to Sabadell, followed by a shocking defeat in Hannover, sent them into free fall, and they suffered another loss to CNAB in Marseille and were unable to raise their levels after the European Championships break. A fourth straight loss, this time in Sabadell, though the Spanish had nothing to fight for apart from their pride, completed their miserable run and relegated them to the Euro Cup. 3. Just weeks after the triumphant Europeans in Belgrade, both Serbian clubs had to fight for a lifeline on Day 6. And the outcome was somewhat stunning as it was Novi Beograd that made the cut by beating Jadran Herceg Novi in Montenegro with a convincing performance, while Radnicki Kragujevac came up short. In the past years, the Novi Beograd project took centre stage in Serbia as they signed most of the stars, but recently the power shifted to Kragujevac and the biggest stars started moving to Radnicki. By this season, the team seemed to be ready to take over NBG’s role in conquering the summit. The Belgrade-based side had four attempts to lift the Champions League trophy, but lost three finals between 2022 and 2025. Radnicki snapped up most of their aces, and having the Rasovic and Jaksic brothers on board, alongside two legends, Dusko Pijetlovic and Andrija Prlainovic, plus the smart Greek Angelos Vlachopoulos and many more greats, many thought Radnicki would be the threat from Serbia this season, just as they had been some 10 years ago when they finished runners-up in the CL in 2014. However, they were unable to deliver as they fell to Mladost in Zagreb and to Olympiacos at home, and in this tough group it was enough to sit on the brink of elimination. On Day 6, they should have beaten the Greeks in regular time. Indeed, Olympiacos could have afforded it as only a multiple-goal defeat would have dropped them out of the race. But the Greeks had no intention of letting the game go, and a 4-0 opening put Radnicki under enormous pressure. Credit to the Serbs that they managed to fight their way back, though only at the very end, so they had only one possession to score and win in regular time. Despite it being replayed at 11-11 amidst some chaos, they could not create a clear shooting chance in seven-on-six, so they are now back in the Euro Cup where they were runners-up last year. The only good news for Radnicki is Recco returned to (and remain in) the Champions League, so the Serbs still have a realistic chance of lifting a European trophy this season (the Italians swept them aside in the EC final last year). 4. Waspo Hannover’s return to the top eight is definitely the most amazing story of the Group Stage. In the company of Barceloneta, Marseille and Sabadell, they were the underdogs; even a zero-point run was on the cards. Instead, the Germans came up with outstanding home performances, which were normal in the good old days when they were regular participants in the Final Eight, and not only when they were the hosts. However, in recent seasons they could not really keep those levels. Their start was disastrous as they were soundly beaten in Marseille (9-20), but then they caught Sabadell, took revenge on the French, and added a stunning away win in Sabadell. And this was enough to take over the runners-up spot from Marseille, behind CNAB. Ironically, the French were drawn into the Spaniards’ group for the third time in a row, and in the previous two years they qualified for the QF Stage with nine points both in 2024 and 2025, the lowest from any advancing sides since the new playing format has been in place. This time it was Waspo that managed to go through with only three wins, as Marseille and Sabadell could only bag two victories each. 5. When FTC-Telekom beat Primorac Kotor 26-15 on Day 3, there were two takeaways from that game. One, Fradi needed to do something as their defence looked anything but tight (they conceded 17 in Brescia in the previous round). And second, there was no way to see a similar match with at least 40 goals – prime entertainment for the fans (not that much for the coaches). Three months on, they reproduced almost the very

The road to 2025/26 Champions League water polo glory in Malta will be shaped by Monday’s highly anticipated draw for the Quarter Final Stage. After a fiercely competitive and entertaining Group Stage, the following teams have secured their place in the top eight: Olympiacos SFP (GRE)Pro Recco (ITA)FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)Zodiac CNAB (ESP)HAVK Mladost (CRO)VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB)AN Brescia (ITA)Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) The Champions League Men Quarter Final Stage draw is scheduled for Monday, February 16th, 2026, starting at 10:00CET, and can be watched live online via the link below: How the Draw Will Work The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four. Pot 1 (Group Winners) Pot 2 (Group Runners-Up) The draw begins with Pot 1. Teams are allocated alternately into Group A and Group B. Once all four group winners are placed, the same alternating process applies to Pot 2. However, there is one crucial restriction: teams that faced each other in the Group Stage cannot be drawn into the same Quarter Final Stage group. If such a situation arises during the draw, the team will be placed in the next available group slot that avoids a repeat match-up. The Quarter Final Stage will be played in a round-robin format within each group (with the first games taking place on March 3rd & 4th). The top two teams from each group will advance to the Champions League Final Four in Malta (June 11th-13th). – Watch Champions League action live on European Aquatics TV For full Champions League fixtures, results, stats and tables, click here Stay tuned to the European Aquatics Water Polo social media accounts for more news and live updates on Facebook and Instagram

While Novi Beograd came up with a great performance in Herceg Novi to down Jadran and reach the next round on Day 6 in the Group Stage of the Champions League, the top Serbian side Radnicki failed to win in Piraeus and were eliminated from the Champions League – leaving a bitter taste for many players who had gone through those triumphant moments in Belgrade at the European Championships. Olympiacos clinched the top spot, just like Recco, FTC and Barceloneta. Besides NBG and Brescia, who had already secured their berth in the next round back in December, Mladost also went through as runners-up, thanks to Olympiacos’ shootout win. Radnicki were not the only big casualty of the day, as Marseille were also dropped to the Euro Cup after Sabadell beat them with a brave performance, paving the way for Hannover to reach the Quarter Final Stage. The draw for the next round of the Champions League will take place on Monday 16 February at 10am (CET) and streamed live via the European Aquatics YouTube channel 2025/26 Champions League MenGroup Stage, Day 6Wednesday 11 February Group A Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 11-11 (5-3P) SPD Radnicki (SRB) HAVK Mladost (CRO) 15-13 Vasas Plaket (HUN) Standings: 1. Olympiacos 14pts, 2. Mladost 12pts 3. Radnicki 10pts, 4. Vasas 0pts Group B Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) 12-15 VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB) VK Jadran Split (CRO) 13-15 Pro Recco (ITA) Standings: 1. Recco 18pts, 2. Novi Beograd 9pts, 3. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts Group CVPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) 15-25 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) AN Brescia (ITA) 17-13 CSM Oradea (ROU) Standings: 1. FTC 16pts, 2. Brescia 14pts, 3. Oradea 3pts, 4. Primorac 3pts Group D KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) 16-13 CN Marseille (FRA) Zodiac CNAB (ESP) 20-12 Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) Standings: 1. CNAB 15pts, 2. Hannover 9pts, 3. Sabadell 6pts, 4. Marseille 6pts Group A Standings: 1. Olympiacos 14pts, 2. Mladost 12pts 3. Radnicki 10pts, 4. Vasas 0pts Olympiacos SFP (GRE) 11-11 (5-3P) SPD Radnicki (SRB) Olympiacos staged the perfect start as they took a 4-0 lead in six minutes while Radnicki missed three man-ups and a penalty. Still, the freshly crowned European champions on the other side had proved in January that the Serbs should not have been written off at any stage, and they indeed started narrowing the gap early in the second period. After some fine defending and with a trademark dunk-like finish from Nikola Jaksic in a man-up, they came back to 5-4. Still, the Greeks responded with a brilliant double in just 32 seconds – Dimitrios Nikolaidis put away an extra, and after killing a man-down, they forced a penalty from a counter. Ioannis Fountoulis buried it to restore the three-goal gap by half-time. However, the Serbs came back strong and in two minutes they were back once more at 7-6, as they played their six-on-fives quite effectively again. Konstantinos Kakaris earned a penalty in the next possession, Papanastasiou converted it for 8-6, but they missed their next extra while Jaksic scored again from the 2m line. Kakaris was still on hand to net a truly magnificent goal from the centre, beating two defenders, and after Olympiacos managed to kill a man-down, Konstantinos Genidounias’ sneaking shot found the back of the net from action with 18 seconds remaining. Still, it was enough for an outstanding blast from Viktor Rasovic to make it 10-8 before the last break. The Serbs were still under pressure as they needed a regular-time win to go through. Three minutes into the fourth, Andrija Prlainovic sent the ball home from a man-up, but again, the Greeks replied immediately, Nikolaidis finished off their six-on-five for 11-9, with 3:42 on the clock. In 20 seconds, Dusko Pijetlovic also netted Radnicki’s man-up and Kakaris’ next finish from their extra was well saved this time. However, Emanouil Zerdevas also managed to stop Strahinja Rasovic’s shot in a man-down. Time was ticking down when Pijetlovic finally levelled it with a great centre shot – though only 1:03 remained in the game. Olympiacos forced a man-up and Daniel Angyal seemed to have scored a fine winner, but it was disallowed 22 seconds from time. The last 22 seconds were replayed twice with 11-11 on the scoreboard, but Radnicki could not score from their seven on six on either occasion. Since it ended tied, Olympiacos had already secured their top spot, while Radnicki were out, as Mladost had won the other game, leaving little excitement for the shootout. The Greeks pulled it off to cheer up their fans, while the Serbs had to settle for Euro Cup action for the rest of the season. HAVK Mladost (CRO) 15-13 Vasas Plaket (HUN) Mladost completed their task with ease against Vasas, despite some sluggish defending in the fourth period. The Croats geared up in the middle two periods, scored three connecting goals in the second to make it 7-2 and kept that gap until the end of the third when Franko Lazic netted one from action with 0:02 on the clock for 12-7. The Croats were still 14-9 up when Vasas staged a late 0-3 surge to climb back to 14-12 with 2:49 on the clock. Konstantin Kharkov’s finish in a dying extra restored some calm for the home side 1:43 from time – at least for this match. After the final whistle, they had to go through some nerve-wracking moments while watching the thrilling finish in Piraeus where a late goal from Radnicki would have put Mladost out of contention. But it never came and the Croats can now prepare for the Quarter Final Stage. Group B Standings: 1. Recco 18pts, 2. Novi Beograd 9pts, 3. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) 12-15 VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB) Milan Glusac carried on his outstanding form from the European Championships to send Novi Beograd to the next round, as his superb saves left Jadran Herceg Novi stranded in the first half. In this winner-takes-all

Officially, only Pro Recco’s first place in their group has already been confirmed, while everyone else has something to play for on the last day of the Group Stage as Champions League action resumes on Wednesday after the European Championships break. The Serbian sides, with freshly crowned continental champions on board, face tough away games, with Radnicki needing a win in regular time in Piraeus against Olympiacos, while Novi Beograd play a do-or-die match in Herceg Novi against Jadran m:tel. 2025/26 Champions League MenGroup Stage, Day 6Wednesday 11 February(All games start 20:00 CET) Group A Olympiacos SFP (GRE) v SPD Radnicki (SRB) HAVK Mladost (CRO) v Vasas Plaket (HUN) Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12pts, 2. Radnicki 9pts, 2. Mladost 9pts, 4. Vasas 0pts Group B Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v VK Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB) VK Jadran Split (CRO) v Pro Recco (ITA) Standings: 1. Recco 15pts, 2. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 2. Novi Beograd 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts Group CVPK Primorac Kotor (MNE) v FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN) AN Brescia (ITA) v CSM Oradea (ROU) Standings: 1. FTC 13pts, 2. Brescia 11pts, 3. Primorac 3pts, 4. Oradea 3pts Group D KEIO CN Sabadell (ESP) v CN Marseille (FRA) Zodiac CNAB (ESP) v Waspo 98 Hannover (GER) Standings: 1. CNAB 12pts, 2. Hannover 9pts, 3. Marseille 6pts, 4. Sabadell 3pts Group A Standings: 1. Olympiacos 12, 2. Radnicki 9, 3. Mladost 9, 4. Vasas 0 Olympiacos Piraeus (GRE) v SPD Radnicki Kragujevac (SRB) Head-to-head: 5-1 (1d) Day 3: 13-12. 2022-23: 13-7, 10-10. 2021-22: 11-7, 8-10. 2014-15: 13-7, 8-7 This is one of the big matches in the last round. The Greeks have almost reached safe waters, as only an eight-goal loss would prevent them from making the top eight – it’s a hard to imagine scenario. At the same time, the Serbs need a regular time win to force a three-way tie, which would favour them in any case and would relegate Mladost to the Euro Cup. With several of their stars fresh from their European Championships triumph, an away win may not be out of reach for the Serbs, though Olympiacos, filled with happy bronze medal winners from Belgrade, will go all-out to avoid a home defeat. The Greeks are also aware a two-goal loss would drop them to the second place and that would possibly send them to a lot tougher road to Malta, where they may face at least two of the other three group winners, Recco, Barceloneta and most probably FTC. (A possible three-way tie, to be achieved if Radnicki claim a regular-time win, would only consider the results the three sides had among each other; as of now, Olympiacos’ goal difference stands at +4, Radnicki’s at 0, Mladost’s at –4 – this latter one is final) Elvis Fatovic, Olympiacos coach: “We are expecting a very hard match against Radnički. I think that both teams have the same goals. We want to win. Comparing to the first game, now they’re playing with Jakšić and we saw him playing at a really high level at the European Championships in Belgrade. “But we know that we are also a good team and I believe the fact we had a similar number of the players who participated in the European Championships will be a very important factor. “So because of this really short time to recover, I believe the team who recovers faster will have more of a chance to win. So, definitely, we are expecting a great game. I believe in our quality and we are optimists.” Dinos Genidounias, Olympiacos: “The match against Radnički is very important for us because we want the win to secure first place in the group. “It is the first significant and difficult game in quite a while for both teams, and we certainly expect a tough match from the Serbians, who also desperately want the win to qualify. “We are excited to be playing in front of our home crowd and our fans after a long time, and our goal is to pick up exactly where we left off before the break.” Mladost Zagreb (CRO) v Vasas Plaket (HUN) Head-to-head: 5-0 Day 3: 13-10. 2011-12: 10-6 (qualifications), 11-7 (bronze medal). 2010-11: 9-8, 8-7 It’s a must-win game for Mladost and it still might not be enough to make the top eight. The Croatians’ faith is in the hands of Olympiacos – provided the Croats beat Vasas, which should not be a problem based on what happened in this group so far, all they need is at least a single point gained by Olympiacos against Radnicki in the other match. A regular-time win for the Serbs – provided it’s not by 8+ goals, would end Mladost’s CL campaign for this season. Bence Bátori, Vasas: “If you are playing in the Champions League there is always something at stake. For Mladost, it will be a very important match for them, so we are expecting a special atmosphere. “In Budapest, we were close to them, and in Zagreb we will also try to show our best face.” Group B Standings: 1. Recco 15pts, 2. Jadran m:tel 6pts, 2. Novi Beograd 6pts, 4. Jadran Split 3pts Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi (MNE) v Novi Beograd Tehnomanija (SRB) Head-to-head: 1-0 Day 3: 12-11 The winners of this match will reach the top eight, while the losers would continue in the Euro Cup. The Montenegrins may have stunned their Serbian arch-rivals in Belgrade, but it’s yet to be seen what level the two sides could reach after such a long break and less than two weeks in practice with the full rosters. Amid these circumstances, there is no way to call this match in advance, it can really go either way. Miodrag Mirovic, Novi Beograd coach: “The stakes are huge for both teams. Jadran are a mature European team with a distinctive style of play, characterised by a lot of swimming and aggression, a blend of youth and experience. “Their greatest strength comes from organisation and discipline. In