Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Water Polo World Championship match.
Argentina are set to face one of the tournament favourites, the USA, who lifted the world title last year after beating Hungary in the final.
Argentina (women)
Argentina are currently ranked 21st in the world and have consistently struggled at World Championship level. They did not qualify for last year’s tournament and finished 12th and 16th in the two preceding editions. Argentina have lost 14 of their last 17 matches, with their three victories coming against relatively modest opposition: Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In the current tournament, they have suffered heavy defeats in both of their group matches — a 9:29 loss to China and a 6:25 result against the Netherlands, both of whom are ranked in the world’s top ten. Their record against the USA is similarly lopsided, with four defeats and a combined score of 10:97.
USA (women)
The USA are ranked third in the world. They have claimed gold in five of the last six World Championships and have only missed the podium once in the last seven Olympic Games (in 2024). The Americans have opened this tournament in strong form, beating two of their key rivals in the group stage — a 15:7 win over China and an 11:9 victory against the Netherlands. A match-up with Argentina is unlikely to present any real difficulty.
Argentina (women) vs USA (women) Prediction
Argentina are effectively out of the running and will be hoping to avoid a humiliating scoreline. However, given their previous results against the USA, another emphatic defeat seems almost certain.
