The 2017 edition of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League kicks-off tomorrow, November 15, with the first home-and-away games of the three European groups.
Group A's Slovakia receives Germany in Kosice, while Serbia will face Romania at home (Kagujevac).
In Group B, Croatia, 2012 Olympic champion, plays 2016 World League bronze medallist Greece in Rijeka (CRO) and the Netherlands receive France in Gouda, city which hosted the Olympic women's qualification tournament at the beginning of the year.
In Group C, Russia visits Georgia in Tbilisi, while Italy will have a bye in this first round.
The composition of the European Groups of the 2017 Men’s World League is as follows:
Group A: Romania, Germany, Slovakia, Serbia
Group B: Netherlands, Croatia, Greece, France
Group C: Georgia, Italy, Russia
The three best teams of the European tournament will be joined by four non-European teams from the Intercontinental Tournament as well as the the Super Final host country.
As a reminder, the final ranking of the 2016 World League was:
1. Serbia, 2. USA, 3. Greece, 4. Italy, 5. Australia, 6. Japan, 7. Brazil, 8. China
Dates for the Intercontinental Tournament and the Super Final will be announced soon on FINA website.