Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Water Polo World Championship match.
An unexpected final will see Greece face off against Hungary. Neither squad entered the tournament as one of the front-runners, yet both have reached the final through markedly different paths.
Greece (women)
Greece have won five of their six matches at the World Aquatics Championships. Their only loss came in their opening game against Hungary, a tight 9:10 result. In the knockout stages, the squad secured a commanding 23:9 win over France, followed by a narrow 8:7 victory against Australia in a tense encounter. The semi-final brought a surprise win over the United States, where a strong fourth quarter proved decisive. Facing Hungary again will be no easy task—since the start of 2024, the head-to-head record between the two teams is even at 3:3, and only once has the margin of defeat exceeded two goals.
Hungary (women)
Hungary have enjoyed a consistent tournament run, stringing together five straight wins. However, they have not always looked comfortable against stronger opposition. Their narrow group-stage victory over Greece and a hard-fought 12:9 quarter-final win against Italy highlight this. In the semi-final, Hungary produced a convincing performance against Spain, though the Spaniards only began to find their rhythm in the second half—by which point the deficit was too large to overcome.
Greece (women) vs Hungary (women) Prediction
These squads are evenly matched in both quality and depth. While Hungary might be slight favourites, we are backing Greece with a +2.5 handicap. Even if they fall short, it's unlikely to be by more than two goals.
