2012 FINA Men's Water Polo World League

For the women's tournament, see 2012 FINA Women's Water Polo World League.

The 2012 FINA Men's Water Polo World League is played between November 2011 and June 2012 and open to all men's water polo national teams. After playing in groups within the same continent, eight teams qualify to play in a final tournament, called the Super Final in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 12-17 June 2012. The two teams that reach the final of the Super Final will be the first teams to quality for the water polo tournament of the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona.[1]

In the world league, there are specific rules that do not allow matches to end in a draw.[2] If teams are level at the end of the 4th quarter of any world league match, the match will be decided by a penalty shootout. Teams earn points in the standings in group matches as follows:

Draw

Americas

As there were only 4 entries, all teams in this region will play in a single group.

Asia/Oceania

As there were only 4 entries, all teams in this region will play in a single group.

Europe

There were 10 entries into the league from Europe, and these were drawn into two groups of three teams and one group of four teams. The teams were placed into groups based on their performance in the 2011 FINA Men's Water Polo World League along with Great Britain, host of the 2012 Olympic tournament.

Pool Country 2011 FINA Men's Water Polo World League result Drawn into Group
1  Italy 2nd, Super Final A
1  Croatia 3rd, Super Final B
1  Romania 2nd, Europe Group B (13 pts) C
2  Spain 2nd, Europe Group A (11 pts) C
2  Germany 3rd, Europe Group A (9 pts) B
2  Russia 3rd, Europe Group B (6 pts, Diff -3) A
3  Greece 3rd, Europe Group C (6 pts, Diff -7) C
3  Macedonia 4th, Europe Group A (2 pts) B
3  Turkey 4th, Europe Group B (0 pts) C
3  Great Britain did not participate A

Americas League

All teams will played the other teams twice. All matches were held in Orange County, California from 10-13 May 2012. USA and Brazil, the top two teams, advanced to the Super Final.[3]

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  United States 4400056114512
2.  Brazil 420022439-156
3.  Canada 400041949-300

Asia/Oceania League

All teams will play the other teams twice. The first round-robin will be held from 1-5 May 2012 at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai and the second round-robin will be held from 8-12 May 2012 at the Chiba International Swimming Complex in Narashino, Chiba, Japan. Two teams advance to the Super Final, one of which must be Kazakhstan as they are the host.

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Australia 660008025+5518
2.  China 630034055-159
3.  Japan 630034953-49
4.  Kazakhstan 600062864-360

Europe League

All teams play the other teams in their group home-and-away. The winner of each group advances to the Super Final.

     Team advances to Super Final

Group A

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Italy 440005416+3812
2.  Russia 420023243-116
3.  Great Britain 400042451-270
15 November 2011
19:00 CET (UTC+1)		 Italy  16–5  Russia Viale Lazio, Civitavecchia
6 December 2011
20:00 GMT (UTC+0)		 Great Britain  6–14  Italy Manchester Aquatics Centre, Manchester
11 January 2012
18:30 MSD (UTC+4)		 Russia  12–8  Great Britain Kinef Water Sports Center, Kirishi
21 February 2012
18:30 MSD (UTC+4)		 Russia  4–10  Italy Kinef Water Sports Center, Kirishi
6 March 2012
20:30 CET (UTC+1)		 Italy  14–1  Great Britain Cremona Municipal Pool
20 March 2011
20:00 GMT (UTC+0)		 Great Britain  9–11  Russia Manchester Aquatics Centre, Manchester

Group B

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Croatia 431004833+1511
2.  Germany 410214145-45
3.  Macedonia 401033041-112
15 November 2011
18:00 CET (UTC+1)		 Croatia  16–15  Germany Dubrovnik City Pool
Shootout win Goals
17 December 2011 Germany  8–5  Macedonia Schoeneberg Sports and Swimming Centre, Berlin
5 January 2012
20:00 CET (UTC+1)		 Macedonia  8–9  Croatia Central Olympic Pool, Skopje
14 February 2012 Germany  6–11  Croatia Magdeburg Swimming Pool
6 March 2012
17:00 CET (UTC+1)		 Croatia  12–4  Macedonia Rijeka
15 March 2012
20:15 CET (UTC+1)		 Macedonia  13–12  Germany Mladost Swimming Pool, Skopje
Shootout win Goals

Group C

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Spain 640026040+2012
1.  Romania 640026546+1912
1.  Greece 640025540+1512
4.  Turkey 600062781-540

3 teams equal on points, therefore only the matches between each other are considered to break the tie - FINA By-Law 9.6.3 [4]

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Spain 420023432+26
2.  Greece 42002323206
3.  Romania 420023335-26
12 November 2011
16:30 EET (UTC+2)		 Romania  16–8  Turkey Iona Alexandrescu Olympic Pool, Oradea
15 November 2011
20:30 CET (UTC+1)		 Spain  8–7  Greece Horta Sports Union, Barcelona
6 December 2011
17:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Romania  9–8  Spain Iona Alexandrescu Olympic Pool, Oradea
17 December 2011
20:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Greece  14–5  Turkey Kapagerof Indoor Pool, Athens
5 January 2012
20:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Turkey  3–16  Romania Enka Swimming Pool, Istanbul
7 January 2012
19:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Greece  9–7  Spain Antonios Pepanos Indoor Pool, Patras
21 February 2012
17:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Romania  8–6  Greece Iona Alexandrescu Olympic Pool, Oradea
21 February
20:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Turkey  5–14  Spain Enka Swimming Pool, Istanbul
6 March 2012
20:30 CET (UTC+1)		 Spain  11–7  Romania Barcelona Swimming Club
17 March 2012
18:00 EET (UTC+2)		 Turkey  3–9  Greece Turkish Water Polo Federation Pool, Istanbul
20 March 2011
20:00 EET(UTC+2)		 Greece  10–9  Romania Kapagerof Indoor Pool, Athens
20 March 2011
20:30 CET (UTC+1)		 Spain  12–3  Turkey Sant Jordi Swimming Pool, Barcelona

Super Final

The Super Final was held on 12-17 June 2012 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.[5]

Preliminary Round: Group A

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Italy 330003024+69
2.  United States 320012219+36
3.  China 301022628-22
4.  Kazakhstan 300123037-71

June 12

Italy  10 – 9  China
United States  11 – 8  Kazakhstan

June 13

United States  6 – 4  China
Italy  13 – 10  Kazakhstan

June 14

Italy  7 – 5  United States
China  13 – 12  Kazakhstan

Preliminary Round: Group B

Team G W SOW SOL L GF GA Diff Points
1.  Croatia 330004120+219
2.  Spain 320012217+56
3.  Australia 310023328+53
4.  Brazil 300031243-310

June 12

Croatia  14 – 11  Australia
Brazil  3 – 8  Spain

June 13

Croatia  7 – 6  Spain
Brazil  6 – 13  Australia

June 14

Croatia  20 – 3  Brazil
Australia  7 – 8  Spain

Quarter-finals

June 15

United States  7 – 5  Australia
Spain  11 – 1  China
Italy  14 – 1  Brazil
Kazakhstan  6 – 13  Croatia

Medal Round

Semi-finals Final
June 16
  Croatia  11  
  United States  10  
 
June 17
      Croatia  18
    Spain  17
Bronze-final
June 16 June 17
  Italy  7   Italy  7
  Spain  9     United States  6

5th–8th places

Semi-finals 5th place match
June 16
  Kazakhstan  7  
  Australia  6  
 
June 17
      Kazakhstan  7
    China  5
7th place match
June 16 June 17
  China  10   Australia  13
  Brazil  7     Brazil  2

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ FINA 2012 Men's Ranking. 6/5/2012.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2637:2012-mens-results&catid=227:results&Itemid=316

External links

Official site