Dubrovnik, renowned as a city of elite water polo, will play host to the Senior European Men's Water Polo Championship in January, alongside Zagreb. This further solidifies Dubrovnik's position on the map of European sports destinations. From the 4th to the 16th of January, 2024 the city will be immersed in this popular water sport.
The European Championship of 2024 holds uniqueness on several fronts. It marks the first time a country has hosted twice consecutively, introduces a new competition format, and is the first time the event takes place in two cities. Following the sporting and organizational success of hosting the European Championship in Zagreb in 2010 and Split in 2022, the organizers promise another sports spectacle this time around. Notably, due to the current war in Israel, the Croatian Water Polo Federation successfully secured the hosting of this crucial competition. After obtaining approval from the Government of the Republic of Croatia for organizing and the expressed interest of the cities of Dubrovnik and Zagreb, the Croatian candidacy was accepted and chosen as the best at the headquarters of the LEN European Aquatics.
As the current European champion, Croatia sees this championship as a unique opportunity to defend the title on home soil, in cities that have stood out as among the most successful and trophy-laden water polo centres in Europe for decades, and consequently, in the world. This event also serves as a qualification tournament for the World Championship in Doha in February 2024 and offers a spot for the Paris Olympics.
Group stage matches will be played in both Zagreb and Dubrovnik, while the second part of the competition will see matches for rankings from 1st to 8th place in Zagreb and matches for rankings from 9th to 16th place in Dubrovnik. The Croatian national team will play group stage matches in Dubrovnik on January 4th against Spain (1st round), January 6th against France (2nd round), and January 8th against Montenegro (3rd round).
Dubrovnik is a co-organizer of this European Championship, and the matches will take place at its popular pool complex in Gruž. The Dubrovnik pool has one of the largest capacities with approximately 2,500 seating places, and with minor interventions, this number is likely to increase by another 500 or more spectators, which is indeed an excellent figure.
Apart from athletes, coaches, and officials of the European Championship, who are estimated to bring nearly 7,000 to 8,000 full board stays to hotels in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, a significant number of domestic and international visitors/spectators, media representatives, sponsors, and others will be attending. Transportation companies, from car rental agencies, bus and van transport to aviation transport, will also have additional business, as teams will need to relocate between Dubrovnik and Zagreb several times during the competition. There are also a series of additional activities that will leave a positive financial impact. Therefore, this European competition holds great economic importance for Dubrovnik, but even more so for its image as a sports metropolis.
Tickets for the Men's Water Polo European Championship matches have been on sale since December 18, 2023, and can be purchased on this link.
