World & European Aquatics Championships

The World and European Aquatics Championships are major international events featuring elite competition across five aquatic disciplines. Both attract top global talent and are free to stream live on Eurovision Sport.

• Disciplines: swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water
• World Championships: every 2 years (usually summer/autumn)
• European Championships: held annually (spring/summer)
• Organised by World Aquatics (Worlds) and LEN/European Aquatics (Europeans)

Water Polo Championships

Water polo at the World and European Championships is fast-paced and physical, with powerhouse nations bringing fierce rivalries to the pool.

World Water Polo Championships

The World Water Polo Championships are held as part of the World Aquatics Championships, showcasing the top men's and women's national teams on a global stage. Organised by World Aquatics (formerly FINA), these tournaments feature intense knockout play, historic rivalries, and some of the most dominant teams in aquatic sport.

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Men's Champion	Women's Champion
World Championships	Every 2 years	2024	Croatia	USA

• Organised by World Aquatics (formerly FINA)
• USA's women's team have won 8 world titles
• Spain's men won their third world title in 2022, following victories in 1998 and 2001
• Other top-performing nations: Serbia, Hungary, Croatia (men); Netherlands, Italy (women)

European Water Polo Championship

The European Water Polo Championships are the continent's premier water polo tournament for national teams, organised by LEN (European Aquatics). Known for fierce rivalries and technical skill, the event crowns both men's and women's European champions.

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Men's Champion	Women's Champion
European Championships	Annual (men/women alternate years)	2024	Spain	Netherlands

• Organised by LEN (European Aquatics)
• Hungary has the most men's titles with 13; Serbia and Italy also regular finalists
• The Netherlands and Italy are leading forces in the women's competition
• The women's team from the Netherlands won gold in 2024, reclaiming their position at the top
• European Championships often rotate host cities and are streamed live on Eurovision Sport

Artistic Swimming Championships

Artistic swimming championships bring together the world's top athletes to perform dazzling, choreographed routines that blend sport, dance, and music. From solo acts to team displays, each event is a test of strength, grace, and perfect synchronisation.

• Events include solo, duet, team, mixed duet, and acrobatic routine
• Judged on artistic impression, technical skill, and synchronisation
• Routines have strict time limits and required elements, especially in technical events
• Olympic discipline since 1984 (only women), with mixed duets added to Worlds in 2015 and Olympics in 2024
• Nations like Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Japan, and Italy have historically dominated the sport

World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup

The World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup is a yearly international series that brings together top soloists, duets, and teams from around the globe.

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Top Nation (2025)	Locations (2025)
World Aquatics Artistic Swimming World Cup	Annual	2025	China	Paris, France - Stop 1 Somabay, Egypt - Stop 2 Markham, Canada - Stop 3 Xi'an, China - Super Final

• Organised by World Aquatics (formerly FINA)
• Features solo, duet, mixed duet, and team routines across technical and free programmes
• Athletes and teams compete in multiple legs of the World Cup circuit, earning points toward overall rankings
• Super Final concludes the series, where the highest-ranked teams compete for the overall title
• In 2025, China won the most medals, dominating the Super Final held in Xi'an.
• Spain also had a standout World Cup season- leading the medal tally in earlier legs - but China ultimately came out on top in total medals and golds across the series.
• The World Cup promotes routine development, exposure for new talent, and creative innovation in choreography

European Artistic Swimming Championships

The European Artistic Swimming Championships are held every year- either as part of the European Aquatics Championships (even years) or as a standalone event (odd years, since 2023). This gives the sport greater visibility and regular competition opportunities.

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Top Nation	Location
European Artistic Swimming Championships	Annually	2025	Spain (11 medals)	Portugal

• Organised by LEN (European Aquatics)
• 2025 was the first standalone edition of the European Championships (separate from full aquatics program)
• Mixed duets and men's solo events are increasingly popular additions
• Judging reforms in recent years aim to reward complexity and reduce subjectivity

Swimming World Championships

From major world titles to fast-paced World Cup circuits, swimming championships offer year-round excitement for fans and athletes alike.

• Include men's and women's races in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly
• Feature individual events, relays, and mixed formats
• World Championships are held every two years; the Swimming World Cup is an annual series
• Swimming has been part of the Olympics since 1896 (women's events added in 1912)
• All major competitions are streamed live and on demand on Eurovision Sport

World Aquatics Swimming World Cup

The World Aquatics Swimming World Cup is a fast-paced annual series that brings together elite swimmers from around the globe to compete across multiple international stops.

• Held annually, typically between October and November
• Includes men's and women's events in all strokes and distances, plus mixed relays

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Location
World Aquatics Swimming World Cup	Annually	2024	Shanghai, China Incheon, Korea Singapore

World Aquatic Swimming Championships

The Swimming World Championships bring together the world's best male and female swimmers in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and medley events across various distances.

• World Aquatics Championships are held every two years
• 30 world records at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships at Budapest

Tournament	Frequency	Last Held	Top Nation	Location
World Aquatic Swimming Championships	Biennially	2024	USA (18 Gold)	Budapest

Diving World Championships

The Diving World Cup and World Championships bring together the world's top athletes for high-flying competition in springboard, platform, and synchronised events across individual and team formats.

Diving World Cup

The World Aquatics Diving World Cup brings top-tier divers together in a high-stakes, fast-paced competition series.

	Info
Frequency	Held annually in various international locations
Events	Men's and women's 3m springboard, 10m platform, and synchronised formats
Purpose	Often used to build momentum for the World Aquatics Championships or Olympic Games
Recent Edition	2025 World Cup held in Guadalajara Mexico, Windsor Canada, Beijing China
Top Nations	China, Great Britain, Canada frequently dominate the podium
Notable Divers	Quan Hongchan, Tom Daley, Caeli McKay, and Yang Hao have starred in recent years
Broadcast	All events are streamed live and free on Eurovision Sport

Diving World Championship

The Diving World Championships showcase elite men's and women's competitions across springboard, platform, and synchronised events.

	Info
Frequency	Held every two years, usually in July
Events	Men's and women's springboard, platform, and synchronised diving
Format	Part of the World Aquatics Championships
Top Nations	China dominates the all-time medal table (129 Gold medals)
Broadcast	All competitions available live and on demand on Eurovision Sport

Open Water Swimming Championships

Open water swimming championships push athletes to their physical and mental limits as they race across lakes, rivers, and seas in distances ranging from 5km to 25km.

Championship	Frequency	Info
World Aquatics Open Water Swimming Championships	Every 2 years	Held as part of the World Aquatics Championships, includes 5km, 10km (Olympic distance), and 25km races
Olympic Games	Every 4 years	Features only the 10km marathon swim for men and women
LEN European Open Water Championships	Every 2 years	Standalone or part of the European Aquatics Championships; includes various distances
FINA UltraMarathon Swim Series	Annually	Global open water circuit featuring long-distance marathon swims
USA Swimming Open Water Nationals	Annually	National-level championship, key for U.S. team selection

Watch World Aquatics Championships

You can watch every major aquatic event live and for free on Eurovision Sport, including swimming, diving, artistic swimming, open water, and high diving.

From world championships to annual World Cups, full coverage is available on demand across all devices - no subscription needed.