ZIMBABWE will send three junior national water polo teams to the upcoming World Aquatics World Championships, marking a historic milestone for the country’s growing aquatics programme.
The country will be represented by the Women’s Under-18 team, as well as the Boys’ and Girls’ Under-16 squads, as they test themselves against the world’s best young players.
The World Aquatics Women’s U16 Water Polo Championships will get the action underway in Zagreb, Croatia, from July 25 to July 31, 2026.
Zimbabwe will open its campaign against Canada on July 25, before facing Germany, New Zealand and the Czech Republic in the remaining group matches.
The World Aquatics Men’s U16 Water Polo Championships will follow in Zagreb from August 3 to August 9, 2026. The boys will face Montenegro, the Czech Republic, the United States and Egypt in the pool stages. The Under-18 Women’s Water Polo World Championships will be held in Tenerife, Spain, from August 16 to August 23, 2026, with 20 countries taking part. Zimbabwe has been drawn in Group E alongside regional neighbours South Africa and Israel.
All three teams will be guided by international strategist head coach Konstantinos Pavlidis, who has served on the Zimbabwe Water Polo Board of Control and coached in Greece’s competitive leagues with AC Acaris, Apollo and GS Iraklis.
The coaching staff includes experienced assistants across all squads. The U18 Women will be assisted by former Zimbabwe international Tyron Jardine, who has 19 years of coaching experience, while Christy Rawstron will assist the U16 Women.
Matthew Accorsi will serve as the U16 Men’s assistant coach, bringing experience as a former national captain, Falcon College director of Water Polo and Zimbabwe Water Polo board member.
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Zimbabwe Water Polo vice-chairman and technical director Brendon Berret said the championships provide an important opportunity for the young athletes to compete at the highest level.
“Zimbabwe will be represented by three junior national teams at the upcoming World Aquatics Water Polo Championships. Our Under-16 Boys and Under-16 Girls teams will compete in Croatia, while our Under-18 Girls team will compete in Tenerife, Spain,” Berret said.
He said preparations had been ongoing for about 18 months through training camps, national squad sessions and competitions, adding that the players had shown strong commitment.
Berret said Zimbabwe’s participation reflected the progress being made in water polo, with World Aquatics recognising the country’s development by granting it places at the global event.
“Our objective is to continue establishing Zimbabwe as a competitive emerging water polo country. We want our athletes to represent the nation with pride, earn respect from international opponents and build on the experience gained at previous World Championships,” he said.
He added that competing at this level would provide valuable exposure for players and coaches while inspiring younger athletes to take up the sport.
“Participation at World Championships provides invaluable experience for our athletes and coaches, raises the profile of the sport nationally and inspires younger players to pursue the game,” Berret said.
However, Berret noted that funding remains a major challenge, with most of the tours being self-funded by athletes and their families.
He said fundraising initiatives and sponsor support, including assistance with kits and equipment, had helped reduce the financial burden, but more support was still needed.
“Water polo remains one of the fastest-growing sports in Zimbabwe. Participation numbers continue to increase, and the sport has significant potential for further growth,” Berret said.
He said the sport had gained momentum through strong performances at South African regional competitions such as the SWPSA Inter-Provincial Tournaments.
However, he identified limited access to suitable facilities, particularly heated pools during winter, as a major obstacle.
“Schools continue to provide excellent support through access to their facilities, but in the long term Zimbabwe would benefit greatly from a dedicated water polo club facility capable of operating throughout the year,” Berret said.
Such a facility, he added, would provide a permanent home for the sport and accelerate its growth and development.
Official team rosters
U18 women’s team:
Iliyah Afzal, Loyiso Mahobele, Imaan Afzal, Natasha Chaniwa, Hannah Davies, Kaylynn Dick, Amelie Mtongwiza, Tariro Muhomba, Tatenda Muhomba, Rayne Nichole, Katie Gripper, Tiffany Small, Savannah Hunter, Jamie Waugh, Emily Lutz.
U16 women’s team:
Lola Accorsi, Sascha Butler, Hannah Davis, Minka Drummond, Georgia Erchard, Kristin Jones, Tassia Kaschula, Lexie Kaschula, Emily Lutz, Ella Lynton-Edwards, Catia Maio, Jamie Pringle, Katelyn Reilly, Tyla van der Westhuizen, Cambria Watt, Ewin Burbidge, Cameron Cooper, Keaten Cornish, Rio Gray, Nathaniel Jerahuni, Logan Lumsden, Christian Lutz, Lwandile Maphosa, Jared Melvin, Nicholas Nkala, Tristan Tanner, Alexander Tivadar, Joshua Willcox, Christian Ziemann, Watipa Zvenyika.
