The Belgrade tournament represents the first major international championship for TeamNL under new head coach Branko Mitrović, and it comes with an immediate test at the highest level. Hosts Serbia enter the competition as Olympic champions from Paris 2024, while Spain arrive as reigning world champions following their 2025 title.
There is, however, recent encouragement for the Netherlands, who recorded a convincing 17–7 win over Israel at the 2022 European Championships.
“The European Championship is an important milestone for this team,” Mitrović said. “We have a strong balance of young talent and experienced players. Our focus is on growing together, gaining valuable experience, and demonstrating what TeamNL water polo is capable of.”
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TeamNL Men’s Water Polo Squad – European Championships 2026
Goalkeepers
- Miki Buitenhuis (UZSC)
- Jelto Spijker (Spandau, Germany)
Field Players
- Bilal Gbadamassi (CN Marseille, France)
- Jeroen Rouwenhorst (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Benjamin Hessels (OSC, Hungary)
- Mart van der Weijden (CN Barcelona, Spain)
- Tim de Mey (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Kas te Riele (Vouliagmeni, Greece)
- Sebastian Hessels (OSC, Hungary)
- Sam van den Burg (Waspo Hannover, Germany)
- Tom de Weerd (Tenerife Echeyde, Spain)
- Marnick Snel (Primorje, Croatia)
- Lars ten Broek (CN Terrassa, Spain)
- Niels Hofmeijer (RN Florentia, Italy)
- Jorrit van der Weijden (GZC Donk)
TeamNL staff
- Head coach: Branko Mitrović
- Assistant coaches: Blagoje Ivović, Sebastiaan Brands
- Team manager: Eric Spithoven
- Physiotherapist: Floris Hazenberg
European Championships 2026 – Group draw
Group A: Malta, France, Montenegro, Hungary
Group B: Slovenia, Greece, Croatia, Georgia
Group C: Netherlands, Israel, Serbia, Spain
Group D: Turkey, Romania, Italy, Slovakia
New tournament format explained
The 2026 European Championships will be played under a new competition format:
- The top three teams from each group advance to the second group phase
- Groups A & C and B & D merge
- Results from the first phase carry over
- Each team plays three additional matches
- The top two teams from each second-phase group qualify directly for the semifinals
- Remaining teams compete for places 5–12
With fewer matches to recover from early mistakes, every group-stage result carries significant weight.
