The Croatia men's national water polo team represents

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

in international

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...

competitions and is controlled by the Croatian Water Polo Federation. They have won gold medals in the Olympics, World and European Championships, FINA World League and Mediterranean Games, making them one of the most successful men's water polo teams in the world. Overall Croatia won 28 medals at competitions. It was the first Croatian national team to win a gold medal at the Olympics or World Games, the World and European Championships. Croatia played their 800th game since gaining independence on 20th August 2022. and they won their 517th victory.

History

After the independence of Croatia the national water polo team competed at its first tournament and also its first finals at

1993 Mediterranean Games The XII Mediterranean Games, commonly known as the 1993 Mediterranean Games, were the 12th Mediterranean Games. The Games were held in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, from 16 June to 27 June 1993, where 2,598 athletes (1,994 men and 604 women) fro ...

, followed by the 1993 European Championships where Croatia won 5th place. Croatia has since become Olympic champion (

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

), double World champion (

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple Inc., Apple's first iPhone (1st generation), iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakis ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) and European champion (

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

). Croatia has also won eight other medals at the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

and

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

and was fourth on six occasions. The team holds a record streak of winning 7 medals in a row at World Championships and has reached semi-finals in over 60% of appearances at the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships altogether since 2017. Since the formation of national team Croatia has qualified for every big tournament. It is the first Croatian national team in any Olympic team sport that has won gold medals at all three big competitions. Croatia has also won World League (

) and

Mediterranean Games The Mediterranean Games is a multi-sport event organised by the International Committee of Mediterranean Games (CIJM). It is held every four years among athletes from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in Africa, Asia and Europe. The ...

(

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

). The only competition Croatia has yet to win is

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

where the national team won silver medal in

. The team has been awarded with Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport in 1996. So far two

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

inductees have been members of Croatia national team –

Perica Bukić Perica Bukić (born 20 February 1966) is a Croatian former professional water polo player and politician. He represented Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Bukić was given the honour to carry the national flag of Croatia at the ...

as a player and Ratko Rudić as a coach. Croatia played their 800 game since gaining independence on 20th August 2022. and they won their 517 victory which makes 64,62% of victories.

Results

Medals

Updated after

2022 Men's European Water Polo Championship The 2022 Men's European Water Polo Championship was the 35th running of the tournament. It was held in the Spaladium Arena in Split, Croatia from 29 August to 10 September 2022. Croatia won their second title by defeating Hungary in the final, ...

Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place

Summer Olympics

Record against other teams at the Summer Olympics

World Championships

Record against other teams at the World Championships

World Cup

Record against other teams at the World Cup

World League

''Wins/Defeats after penalty shootout counted as wins/defeats.''
''* marks instances of not qualifying for the super final due to "host rule".''

European Championships

Record against other teams at the European Championships

LEN Europa Cup

Mediterranean Games

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2022 European Championship in

Split, Croatia )'' , settlement_type = City , anthem = ''Marjane, Marjane'' , image_skyline = , imagesize = 267px , image_caption = Top: Nighttime view of Split from Mosor; 2nd row: Cathedra ...

Player statistics

Most appearances

bold – not retired from national team

Top scorers

Head coaches

* Duško Antunović (1991–1993) * Bruno Silić (1993–1998) * Neven Kovačević (1998–2001) *

Veselin Đuho Veselin Đuho (born 5 January 1960) is a Croatian professional water polo coach and former player who was a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Đuho was born in Foča but moved to Dubrovnik as a ...

(2002–2003) *

Zoran Roje Zoran Roje (born 7 October 1955) is a Croatian former professional water polo player and coach. As a member of the Yugoslavia national team, he won the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the silver medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Born ...

(2003–2005) * Ratko Rudić (2005–2012) * Ivica Tucak (2012–)

Notable players

Milivoj Bebić Milivoj Bebić (born 29 August 1959) is a retired Croatian water polo player. He won a silver Olympic gold medal winner with Yugoslavia at the 1980 Summer Olympics and a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was a former waterpolo playe ...

FINA Water Polo Player of the Year in 1982, 1984 and 1985. Scored 28 goals in one game which is a world record for water polo game (''final score:'' Yugoslavia 62–0 Guatemala). First water polo player in history to sign a 6 digit contract. *

Zdravko Ježić Zdravko "Pusko" Ježić (17 August 1931 – 19 June 2005) was a Croatian chemist and water polo player. He was part of the Yugoslav team that won silver medals at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed fourth in 1960. In 1958 Ježić received ...

Zdravko Kovačić Zdravko "Ćiro" Kovačić (6 July 1925 – 1 April 2015) was a Croatian water polo player who competed for Yugoslavia in the 1948 Summer Olympics, in the 1952 Summer Olympics, and in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Kovačič was born in Šibenik in ...

* Renco Posinković * Karlo Stipanić

Naturalized players

Andrey Belofastov (Ukraine), Xavier García (Spain) Faris Okanovic (Sweden)

Statistics

Record against other teams

''As of 11 September 2022'' NO FRIENDLY fixtures.

Biggest wins

''double digit goal difference''

Biggest losses

Non-senior competitions

World Youth Championship

;U-18

World Junior Championship

;U-20

European Youth Championship

;U-17 ''* incorporated in the 1st European Games''

European Junior Championship

;U-19

Awards

* Croatian team of the year: 1999, 2017, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017

Notes

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , title = Men's water polo tournament winners , bg = gold , list1 = {{Summer Olympics men's water polo tournament winners {{World Aquatics Championships men's water polo tournament winners {{FINA Men's Water Polo World League winners {{Men's European Water Polo Championship winners Men's national water polo teams Men's sport in Croatia