Irvine, CA - February 22 - The World
Aquatics World Cup, formerly known as the FINA World League, will see the men's
and women's finals head to Southern California this summer! World Aquatics
announced today that USA Water Polo has been selected as the host for the
upcoming international competitions with the women's tournament set for June
23-25 at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, CA and the men's tournament set
for June 30-July 2 at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA.
Qualifications get underway in the
coming months with the following cities playing host: Athens (GRE), Berlin
(GER), Podgorica (MNE), Rotterdam (NED), Zagreb (CRO). After two rounds of
qualification, six teams will gather in Southern California for each
competition. For more information on the qualification process, click here.
Both USA National Teams have seen
success in recent years in the former World League Super Final. The USA Women
claimed bronze in 2022, which broke a run of seven straight gold medals in
Super Final play. The USA Men have battled for gold over the last two editions,
coming up just short with silver medals in 2020 and 2022. Full competition
rosters for both Team USA squads will be announced closer to the start of
competition along with details on tickets, live stats and live streaming.
USA Water Polo CEO Christopher Ramsey
expressed his excitement about both the men's and women's finals being hosted
in Southern California:
"Holding the inaugural World Cup
Super Finals in Los Angeles and Long Beach in advance of the LA28 Olympic Games
is exciting for us," said Ramsey. "Water polo has always had a
special relationship with Southern California, which boasts the greatest
concentration of water polo athletes in the nation, and being able to share the
greatest athletes in our sport from around the world with our fan base here
should give everyone a little taste of what's to come in 2028. We are grateful
to World Aquatics for this opportunity and we look forward to hosting two truly
memorable competitions."
Los Angeles and Long Beach have a
long history hosting top water polo competitions, including the Men's Olympic
Water Polo Tournaments in 1932 and 1984, the Men's and Women's Water Polo World
Cup finals in 2004 and the Men's Junior Water Polo Championships in 2007. USA
Water Polo last hosted the Super Final when the women's edition came to La
Jolla in 2010.
About USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo, Inc., is the national
governing body for water polo in America, overseeing our United States Olympic
program as well as 20 championship events annually, such as Junior Olympics and
Masters National Championships. With more than 50,000 members, USAWP also is
the sanctioning authority for more than 500 member clubs and more than 400
tournaments nationwide. USAWP is committed to the development of the sport
throughout the U.S., fostering grass-roots expansion while providing a national
system of affiliated clubs, certified coaches, and officials. For more
information, visit www.usawaterpolo.org.
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