Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the World Water Polo Championship match.
Spain, widely regarded as frontrunners for the 2024 World Championships title, open their campaign against Japan, who have never progressed beyond third place in the group stage throughout their tournament history.
Spain
Spain are currently ranked second in the world. So far this year, they have suffered just one defeat – a narrow 11:12 loss to Hungary – and are currently enjoying an eight-match winning streak. During this impressive run, they have seen off several top-five ranked teams, including Serbia, Hungary, Greece, and Croatia (twice). In previous meetings with Japan, Spain have a flawless record, winning all five encounters, four of them by margins of at least five goals.
Japan
Japan are currently ranked 12th in the world, outside the top ten. The team have lost six of their last eight matches this year, despite facing lower-ranked opposition such as the Netherlands (15th) and Germany (17th). At the last World Championships, they finished bottom of their group with a goal difference of −22.
Spain vs Japan Prediction
Champions of the 2022 World Championships, Spain are expected to begin their 2024 campaign strongly with a convincing win, since Japan have never beaten them and have never reached the knockout stages of this tournament.
