Malta concluded their Group A campaign at the Water Polo European Championship 2026 with a 21–6 defeat against Hungary, one of the tournament favourites, in a match that underlined the gulf in experience and depth between the two sides.
The Maltese national team entered the encounter aware of the challenge ahead and approached the game with discipline and organisation, particularly in the early stages. Malta showed encouraging signs in the opening quarter, managing to stay competitive and limiting Hungary’s scoring opportunities, with the first session ending 4–2 in favour of the Hungarians.
However, as the match progressed, Hungary’s superior physicality, tactical awareness and rotation options began to take their toll. The Hungarians increased the tempo and gradually took full control of proceedings, winning the second quarter 7–2 before extending their dominance in the third and fourth periods, which ended 5–2 and 5–0 respectively.
Despite the pressure, Malta continued to battle and attempted to control the damage against relentless opposition, creating moments of positivity at both ends of the pool. Liam Galea emerged as Malta’s leading scorer with two goals, while further efforts came from Nagaev, Zammit, Camilleri and Grixti.
With the group stage now completed, Malta will move into the classification phase, where they will contest matches for places 13 to 16. The national team is next scheduled to face Slovenia on Saturday, as they aim to close the championship on a competitive note and gain further valuable experience at elite European level.
