Israel's U16 Water Polo Team Secures Dramatic Win Over Ukraine at World Championship

Israel's under-16 water polo team achieved a dramatic 12-11 victory against Ukraine at the World Championship held in Croatia on August 4, 2026. This marked Israel's first win in the tournament after a previous loss to Brazil. The match was tightly contested, with Israel leading 3-2 after the first quarter and the teams tied at 6-6 and 9-9 at halftime and after the third quarter, respectively. Ukraine briefly took the lead 11-10, but Israel staged a comeback in the final minute, with Aviv Gadron scoring the decisive winning goal.

Coach Rotem Zuckerman expressed relief and pride after the victory, noting the challenging draw against some of the world's top teams and emphasizing the team's resilience. Key contributors included Yehali Winberg, who scored three goals, along with Michael Ben Eliyahu, Aviv Gadron, Yonatan Paz, Kfir Shusterman, Yoav Berger, Daniel Cohen, Omri Danal, and Alon Nur Sela, each scoring once.

Looking ahead, Israel is set to face the strong Dutch team the following day. Meanwhile, Israel's under-20 women's team suffered their fourth consecutive defeat at the European Championship in Portugal, losing 22-8 to Russia. Top scorers for the women were Teva Dorfman and Mia Tirosh with three goals each, and Carmel Rahum and Gili Bornstein with one goal each. The women's team will next face the loser of the France-Britain match in the classification rounds.