2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup

For the equivalent men's tournament, see 2025–26 European Aquatics Conference Cup.
European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
2025–26
Tournament information
SportWater polo
DateQualification Round I:
14–16 November 2025
Qualification Round II:
27 February – 1 March 2026
Final Eight:
26–29 March 2026
Tournament
format(s)
Round Robin and Knockout stage
TeamsQualification round I: 16 [a]
Qualification round II: 8+5 [b]
Final Eight: 8
Total: 16+5 (from 12 countries)
WebsiteOfficial website

The 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup is the 1st edition of European Aquatics's new tertiary club competition (replacing the Challenger Cup) for women's water polo clubs. The season begins on 14 November 2025 and ended on 29 March 2026 with the Final Eight.

The winners of the European Aquatics Conference Cup automatically qualify for next season's Euro Cup, (if they choose to enter).

Rankings

The results were based on the results of the past four seasons.[1]

  • Associations 1–4 can have two teams ranked 7th and 8th qualify.
  • Associations 5–6 can have two teams ranked 5th and 6th qualify.
  • Associations 7–12 can have one team ranked 2nd and 3rd qualify.
  • Associations 13 and below can have one team ranked 1st qualify.

Apart from the distribution based on the rankings, countries could have additional teams participating in the Conference Cup, as noted below:

  • (EC) – Additional teams dropping down from the Euro Cup

Ranking facts

Teams

The teams finishing in seventh and eighth from national leagues ranked 1–4, placing in fifth and sixth from national leagues ranked 5–6, the teams finishing in second through third from countries ranked 7–12 and champions from countries ranked 13 and below are permitted to enter.

Everyone who enters starts in the qualification round I.

Unlike last season, in the event that a club decides not to enter, the next best ranked team is not allowed to take their place.[4] However, this rule wasn't implemented all the time.

Qualified teams

The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:

  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc: League positions of the previous season
  • EC: Transferred from the Euro Cup
    • QR: Transferred from the Euro Cup qualification round
Entry round Teams
Qualification round II Panionios GSS (EC QR) ŽAVK Mladost (EC QR) ASD Bogliasco 1951 (EC QR) Galatasaray Zena (EC QR)
VK Vojvodina (EC QR)
Qualification round I CN Sant Feliu (8th) Tenerife Echeyde (9th) AC PAOK (7th) NC Chania (8th)
Cosenza Pallanuoto (7th) Brizz Nuoto (8th) ZVL 1886 (6th) SV Blau-Weiss (2nd)
Goztepe SK (2nd) Dalton Koleji SK (3rd) Jadran Split (2nd) Clube Fluvial (2nd)
ZVK Crvena Zvezda (2nd) Sirens ASC (1st) San Giljan ASC (3rd) CSM Unirea Alba Iulia (1st)

Name changes

The following teams' names were changed during the season.

Original name New name Matchday
Cosenza Pallanuoto Smile Cosenza Pallanuoto Qualification round I

Rounds and draw dates

Schedule

Phase Draw date Round date[5]
Qualification round I 11 August 2025 14–16 November 2025
Qualification round II TBD 27 February – 1 March 2026
Final Eight 26–29 March 2026

Qualification round I

Main article: 2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup qualification round I

The top two qualify for the next round, while every team that comes from a country that is ranked below the top seven drop down to the Challenger Cup. The draw was on 11 August 2025 in Zagreb, Croatia.[6][7] The seeding is based off the club rankings.[8]

Group A

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification FEL BLA GOZ GIL
1 CN Sant Feliu 3 3 0 0 0 66 19 +47 9 Qualification round II — — — —
2 SV Blau-Weiss 3 2 0 0 1 41 34 +7 6 8–15 — 15–12 —
3 Goztepe SK 3 1 0 0 2 38 39 −1 3 8–20 — — —
4 San Giljan ASC (H) 3 0 0 0 3 14 67 −53 0 3–31 7–18 4–18 —
Source: European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
(H) Host

Group B

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification COS UNI JAD CRV
1 Smile Cosenza Pallanuoto 3 3 0 0 0 50 9 +41 9 Qualification round II — — 21–3 16–3
2 CSM Unirea Alba Iulia (H) 3 2 0 0 1 34 28 +6 6 3–13 — 11–10 20–5
3 Jadran Split 3 1 0 0 2 29 35 −6 3 — — — 16–3
4 ZVK Crvena Zvezda 3 0 0 0 3 11 52 −41 0 — — — —
Source: European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
(H) Host

Group C

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification TEN BRI FLU DAL
1 Tenerife Echeyde 3 3 0 0 0 47 15 +32 9 Qualification round II — 11–7 — 17–3
2 Brizz Nuoto (H) 3 2 0 0 1 52 23 +29 6 — — — —
3 Clube Fluvial 3 1 0 0 2 29 54 −25 3 5–19 6–20 — 18–15
4 Dalton Koleji SK 3 0 0 0 3 24 60 −36 0 — 6–25 — —
Source: European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
(H) Host

Group D

Pos Team Pld W PSW PSL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification PAOK CHA ZVL SIR
1 AC PAOK 3 3 0 0 0 66 35 +31 9 Qualification round II — 21–12 21–16 —
2 NC Chania 3 1 1 0 1 35 37 −2 5 — — 11–9[c] —
3 ZVL 1886 3 1 0 1 1 42 34 +8 4 — — — —
4 Sirens ASC (H) 3 0 0 0 3 16 53 −37 0 7–24 7–12 2–17 —
Source: European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup
(H) Host

Qualification round II

2025–26 European Aquatics Women's Conference Cup qualification round II

Notes

  1. ^ From 9 countries
  2. ^ From 7 countries
  3. ^ Match ended 7–7, NC Chania 4–2 on penalties.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Water Polo Rankings - European Aquatics®". August 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "Women Clubs Country Ranking - European Aquatics®". www.len.eu. August 3, 2025.
  3. ^ "Rankings PDF" (PDF).
  4. ^ "EUROPEAN AQUATICS WATER POLO CLUB COMPETITIONS" (PDF). 12 May 2025.
  5. ^ "European Aquatics Calendar - European Aquatics®". September 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "2025/26 Conference Cup and Challenger Cup water polo qualification groups determined - European Aquatics®". August 11, 2025.
  7. ^ Curcic, Ivan (August 11, 2025). "Conference Cup draw: Two former European champions in same qualification group".
  8. ^ "Women Club Ranking - European Aquatics®". August 3, 2025.
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