Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Water Polo World Championship match.
Greece progressed comfortably through the group stage, facing real resistance only from Hungary. Their next opponents are France, who have lost every previous meeting but have consistently avoided heavy defeats.
Greece (women)
Greece are among the top five national sides globally, although they have not posted standout results in recent years. They placed seventh at the 2024 Olympic Games and finished fourth at last year’s World Championships. At the current tournament, they began with a narrow defeat against Hungary (ranked fourth worldwide) before registering emphatic victories over Croatia (31:7) and Japan (25:15), both of whom sit outside the global top ten. Greece are currently on a 13-match winning streak against France, although none of those victories have come by more than a 14-goal margin.
France (women)
France are ranked tenth in the world and are yet to establish themselves as a major force on the international stage. In 2024, they achieved a personal best ninth-place finish at the Olympics, following a 13th-place result in last year’s World Championships. In this campaign, France suffered a heavy defeat to Spain (6:23), put in a competitive showing against Great Britain (9:12), and overcame South Africa (13:6). Significantly, they rarely lose by large margins — since September 2022, only one of their defeats has come by more than 15 goals, that being the loss to Spain.
Greece (women) vs France (women) Prediction
Greece have not produced a dominant tournament run in recent years, and their last commanding win over France came back in 2010. The French are expected to remain competitive and should keep the scoreline within the +14.5 goal spread.
