The big question remains. Can anyone unseat the United States of America from the FINA World League women’s pedestal? Now is the last time to find out.

This will be the final FINA World League series following a revamping of the calendar in which the World Cup will cement the No. 3 position in the major events behind the Olympic Games and FINA World Championships. Details were released on the FINA website earlier this week.

The World Cup was where it all started in Merced, USA in 1979 and was played on an annual basis until 1984 (missing 1982). The next staging was 1988 in Christchurch, New Zealand, played again in 1989 and became biennial until 1999. From 2002, it became a quadrennial event as the World League emerged in 2004, with the last outing at Surgut, Russia in 2018. Covid disrupted its continuance.

Competing this year as they did in the inaugural event in 2004 at Long Beach, USA are 14-time champion USA, Hungary, Italy, Canada and Australia. Only 15 nations have progressed to the Super Final in its history.

The three nations who won gold and are not in Tenerife? Greece (2005), Russia (2008) and China (2013).

There is one change to the regular format for the Super Final with only five days allotted instead of the usual six, eliminating the quarter-final round.

While the stage is set for the season finale, one asks whether the European nations can find the enthusiasm and stamina for a third major campaign of the year. This is on top of the European club and international seasons as well as the World and European Championships. This means the non-Europeans might have that extra energy to propel to the medal rounds.

Groups:

Power Rankings:

A potential ranking for the last FINA Super Final title?

No. 1: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Super Final Appearances: 17
Medals: 14 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Standout player: Goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson (28), pictured. Her height (186cm) and reach, let alone formidable presence, complement the usually strong USA defence.
Current form: USA will be wanting to cram the last World League crown into the burgeoning trophy cabinet and head coach Adam Krikorian expects nothing less, even though he shapes up without the likes of multi-Olympic champions and the world’s leading players in Maddie Musselman and Maggie Steffens. Four players have yet to enjoy the elite world stage, showing that the squad is being rebuilt with eyes on a fourth consecutive Olympic crown just two years away.

No. 2: SPAIN
Super Final Appearances: 9
Medal: 1 Silver
Standout player: Elena Ruiz turns just 18 today (29th), but has already stamped her authority on the world game. Her undoubted shooting prowess and ability to read the game, set her at a higher level than most and a long, successful career is tipped.
Current form: Spain dipped badly at Budapest 2022, but has the team to shoot back into the top four and beyond. Clashing with USA in the quarter-finals at Budapest 2022 was the worst possible scenario, turning at 6-5 down only to wilt 13-8 by the final whistle. Following a 10-10 draw with Greece in the rounds, it was the only loss of the campaign and it surged to fifth. Bea Ortiz and Judith Forca were equal-highest goal-scorers for Spain in Budapest and can be expected to be in the mix again, especially playing at home. Then Spain went onwards to European supremacy in Split, Croatia

No. 3: HUNGARY
Super Final Appearances: 7
Medals: 2 Silver
Standout player: Captain Rita Keszthelyi may be well into her career at 30 years of age, but her presence alone lifts the team and makes opposition players wary of her movements.
Current form: Hungary beat USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but eventually took bronze to USA’s gold. Hungary burst through to the final at home for this year’s World Championships and forced the case for a major boilover, losing by only two goals after being one goal down with a minute to play. In Split, Hungary bowed to Spain in the quarter-finals and had to settle for fifth place. Attila Biro has the team to reach the top step.

No. 4: NETHERLANDS
Super Final Appearances: 7
Medal: 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Standout players: Simone van de Kraats, just shy of her 22nd birthday, pipped Lola Moolhuijzen (18) for leading Dutch scorer at Budapest 2022 (18-17) and they will be out to prove their worth in this competition. At the Europeans, van de Kraats was the second highest scorer.
Current form: Netherlands took bronze home from Budapest and was edged for bronze by Italy at the Europeans (16-13). Netherlands defeated Italy for the Budapest bronze and showed that it is on the edge of a major victory, albeit a long way from Olympic gold in 2008 and the all-conquering 1990s’ teams.

No. 5: AUSTRALIA
Super Final Appearances: 16
Medals: 4 Silver, 6 Bronze
Standout player: Bronte Halligan, the 180cm 26-year-old driver, has the capability to turn a match and draw stronger players to her to free up other shooters.
Current form: Covid was a brutal time for the Aussie Stingers as they were unable to travel to the previous World League in Athens 2021 due to closed borders and the lead-in to Budapest 2022 was far from ideal. Head coach Paul Oberman has stayed true to his squad for Tenerife and Zoe Arancini, a former World Championship Media All Star, brings her huge experience once again as Australia tries to add to its 10-medal showing at this level. Like the other non-Europeans, Australia has had limited international play in recent years.

No. 6: ITALY
Super Final Appearances: 11
Medals: 4 Silver, 1 Bronze
Standout player: Sofia Giustini spearheaded Italy’s World Championship and European campaigns with her terrific shooting abilities.
Current form: Italy battled to bronze at the Europeans after  fourth place in Budapest, maintaining a consistency that could pay dividends in Tenerife. Italy did not contest the last Super Final, however, it claimed silver in 2019. Assisting Giustini in the shooting department is Silvia Avegno.

No. 7: CANADA
Super Final Appearances: 17
Medals: 2 Silver
Standout player:  Hayley McKelvey (26) nailed 16 goals at the Budapest World Championships to lead the team. Her accuracy will be sorely needed and tested in Tenerife.
Current form: Canada finished ninth in Budapest, as it did in 2019 and has promised so much in recent years under head coach David Paradelo. Two fourths and a silver in the last four iterations show just what it can do. These results were amid seventh at Tokyo 2020, so an upset in Tenerife could be on the cards.

No. 8: NEW ZEALAND
Super Final Appearances: Nil
Medals: Nil
Standout player: Emmerson Houghton hammered in six goals in the 20-11 loss to Canada for ninth position in Budapest and can be expected to perform in Tenerife. Her quality of play and shot selection improved as the World Championship tournament progressed, finishing 14th on the individual ladder.
Current form: With five women playing in European clubs and more than 20 others in USA college programmes, Kiwi prospects are on the rise, readying for the 2023 season and beyond. Head coach Angela Winstanley-Smith said: “World League is an opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the World and set us up for a busy 2023. It’s a huge bonus for us and privilege to have been invited. We will come and play hard and hopefully be a challenge for the teams we play.”

DAY 1 PROGRAMME
08:40 Netherlands v United States of America
10:20 Australia v Hungary
12:00 Canada v Italy
13:40 Spain v New Zealand