The Malta men’s national water polo team suffered a second consecutive defeat at the European Aquatics Championship 2026 in Belgrade, falling 22-13 to France on Monday in a match that saw their aspirations of reaching the Top 12 phase come to an end. 

France, recovering from a heavy opening-day loss to Hungary, dominated all four sessions of the encounter, proving too strong for the Maltese side. 

Match Breakdown

The French quickly established control, taking a 4-1 lead and maintaining a high-pressure, full-pitch press that Malta found difficult to counter. France led 6-4 after the first session and significantly increased their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring Malta 5-2 to lead 11-6 at the halfway stage. 

The trend continued into the third session, which ended 6-3, giving France an unassailable 17-9 lead. The fourth session became a formality as France sealed the 22-13 victory, their eighth win in as many international competitions against Malta. 

Malta Goal Scorers

Malta’s goals were distributed among several players:

• Stevie Camilleri: 3 goals
• Ben Plumpton: 2 goals
• Single Goals: Matthew Zammit, Ivan Nagaev, Liam Galea, Darren Zammit, Nikolai Zammit, Alec Fenech, Elijah Schembri, and Jake Bonavia each scored one goal. 

Team News

In the lead-up to the match, Malta’s preparations were disrupted by the news that player Jake Muscat was sent home for disciplinary reasons. Coach Milan Cirovic had urged his players to perform well against a technically proficient French side. 

Malta’s next match in Group A is a challenging encounter against powerhouse Hungary today (Wednesday, January 14, 2026). Following the group stage, Malta will compete in matches for the 13th to 16th classification places.