Road to women’s 2026 Euro Cup final begins

The Euro Cup Women Qualification Round begins on Friday, 17 October, with matches across three groups. In Group A in Zagreb, Croatia, ZAVK Mladost Zagreb faces Panionios GSS at 20:45 local time. Group B in Ede, Netherlands, features Galatasaray Zena against ASD Bogliasco 1951 at 20:00, and Group C in Novi Sad, Serbia, has III. Keruleti TVE versus Hapoel Yoqneam at 19:00.

This competition includes teams ranked fifth or lower from top nations and leading clubs from lower-ranked countries. The top two teams from each qualifying group will advance to the Group Stage to join four seeded teams, while third-place teams will move to the Conference Cup.

In Group A, teams include Zodiac CNAB (Spain), Panionios GSS (Greece), and ZAVK Mladost Zagreb (Croatia). Zodiac CNAB's women's team is debuting internationally, featuring Olympic champion Paula Leiton and coach Chus Martin, who previously led the men's team to success. Hosts Mladost aim to cause upsets, with coach Joško Kreković emphasizing maximum effort and progress, while player Matea Skelin expressed motivation and readiness. Panionios brings a mix of youth and experience, including veteran Margarita Plevritou.

Group B consists of ASD Bogliasco 1951 (Italy), Galatasaray Zena (Turkey), and Polar Bears (Netherlands). This group is characterized by young rosters with few experienced players, aligning with the Euro Cup's goal of providing international experience. Galatasaray, last season's Challenger Cup runners-up, may contend, but Bogliasco and Polar Bears are seen as having better chances to advance.

Group C includes III. Keruleti TVE (Hungary), VK Vojvodina (Serbia), and Hapoel Yoqneam (Israel). Keruleti TVE is favored as Hungary's sixth-ranked team, but Vojvodina and Hapoel, top clubs in their countries, aim to challenge them. Hapoel's Shunit Strugo highlighted their excitement as underdogs, while Keruleti's Anita Keresztes stated their goal to win the group and apply their training.

All matches can be watched live on European Aquatics TV, with full fixtures, results, and statistics available on their website or app.