Four Catalan women’s water polo teams and two men’s clubs have discovered their European competition paths following the draws for the 2026/27 Champions League and Euro Cup qualification rounds, organised by European Aquatics.
In the women’s Champions League, Assolim Mataró and CN Sant Andreu have qualified directly for the group stage as top finishers in Spain’s league. Two more Catalan teams, Astralpool Sabadell and CN Terrassa, will meet in a derby during the qualification phase, drawn together in Group D alongside French side Lille and Dutch club GZC Donk. The matches take place from 9 to 11 September. Only the top two in each group advance to the Champions League group stage, while third and fourth-place teams drop into the Euro Cup.
Reigning Euro Cup champions EPlus Catalunya will attempt to reach the Champions League for the first time, facing Greek clubs Ethnikos and Glyfada, and France’s Grand Nancy in Group C.
Sabadell Faces Tough Men’s Qualifier
The sole Catalan representative in the men’s Champions League qualifiers is Astralpool Sabadell. Drawn in Group B, they face Italy’s Brescia, Georgia’s A-Polo Sport Management, and Montenegro’s Budva-Budvanska Rivijera in Tbilisi from 18 to 20 September. The top two from each of the three qualification groups will earn Champions League group stage spots.
Zodiac Atlètic Barceloneta, last season’s European champions, have already qualified for the main stage and will bypass the qualifiers.
Barcelona and Terrassa Target Euro Cup Spot
In the men’s Euro Cup qualifiers (9–11 October), CN Barcelona will face Italy’s CN Posillipo, Greece’s Vouliagmeni, and Romania’s Dinamo București in Group D. Terrassa have been drawn in Group E with Montenegro’s Buducnost, Hungary’s BVSC-Manna, and Serbia’s Primorje Erste Bank Rijeka.
Under the new European Aquatics structure, clubs eliminated in Champions League qualification automatically enter the Euro Cup group stage, while Euro Cup qualification losers progress to the Conference Cup Qualification Round II.
Reported by lesportiudecatalunya.cat, Waterpolo 360 Newsdesk, Ivan Curcic, Ines Jakopanec, Andy, El Punt Avui.
