Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Croatia claimed their second U18 Water Polo World Championship by defeating the United States in a dramatic final decided by a sudden-death penalty shootout. After a 14-14 draw in regular time, Croatia prevailed 7-6 in penalties following an eight-shot sudden death. This marks Croatia's return to the top of the podium since their first win in 2016. The USA earned their first medal at this level by reaching the final.
The final featured back-and-forth play with the USA leading 2-1 before Croatia leveled and took a 5-3 advantage. The match remained close, culminating in a tied score that forced the shootout. The penalty competition was tightly contested, with Croatia securing victory on the eighth shot of sudden death.
In the bronze medal game, Spain defeated Montenegro 13-12 after leading 12-8, with Montenegro nearly equalizing before the buzzer. In other matches, Greece beat Serbia for fifth place and Hungary bested Italy for seventh. New Zealand reversed a prior loss to Turkey to claim ninth, while Canada edged China 15-14 for eleventh. Australia beat Brazil for thirteenth place, and Singapore defeated Colombia for fifteenth.
Individual honors went to Tyler Anderson (USA) as Most Valuable Player and Nikola Batos (Croatia) as Best Goalkeeper. Ilias Angelopoulos (Greece) was the tournament's top scorer. Croatia now joins Hungary as the only teams to have won the U18 title more than once.
Final tournament standings: 1. Croatia; 2. United States of America; 3. Spain; 4. Montenegro; 5. Greece; 6. Serbia; 7. Hungary; 8. Italy; 9. New Zealand; 10. Turkey; 11. Canada; 12. China; 13. Australia; 14. Brazil; 15. Singapore; 16. Colombia; other teams placed lower.