 | |
| FINA code | AUS |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Aussie Sharks[1] |
| Association | Water Polo Australia |
| Confederation | OSA (Oceania) |
| Head coach | Timothy Hamill |
| Asst coach | Dean Semmens Andrew Yanitsas |
| Captain | Nathan Power |
| FINA ranking (since 2008) | |
| Current | 11 (as of 9 August 2021) |
| Highest | 7 (2012) |
| Lowest | 11 (2016, 2021) |
| Olympic Games (team statistics) | |
| Appearances | 18 (first in1948) |
| Best result | 5th place (1984,1992) |
| World Championship | |
| Appearances | 22 (first in1973) |
| Best result | 4th place (1998) |
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 9 (first in1981) |
| Best result |  (2018) |
| World League | |
| Appearances | 17 (first in2003) |
| Best result |  (2007,2008,2019) |
| Commonwealth Championship | |
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2002) |
| Best result |  (2006) |
| Media | |
| Website | waterpoloaustralia.com.au |
The Australian national water polo team representsAustralia in men's internationalwater polo competitions and is controlled byWater Polo Australia. The national men's team has the nickname of "The Sharks". It is organised into the Asia/Oceania regional group.
Australia has competed internationally since the1948 London Olympic Games, and has qualified for all subsequent Olympic tournaments exceptAtlanta in 1996, and although not achieving the success of European teams, has remained relatively competitive at international level since.
In1968, the team qualified to compete at the Mexico Olympic Games, but was denied entry by theAustralian Olympic Federation.[2]
Australia scored their first point in Olympic competition when they drew withBulgaria in the1972 Summer Olympics inMunich.
The Australian team placed 5th in the1984 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles, and in the1992 Summer Olympics inBarcelona, the highest Olympic placing so far, and finished 4th in the World Championships at home inPerth in 1998.
Australia's best international water polo success came in 1996, when the Sharks won the six-nationControl Cup inHungary, and followed it up with a bronze medal at an eight nation tournament inItaly in the same year. However, they failed to qualify for that year's Olympics for the first time since 1948.
A reinvigorated youthful team managed to finish second toCanada in an international tournament inEngland in 2002, and in 2003, they beat then world championsSerbia 12–11 in aFINA Water Polo World League match in Hungary, and followed it up by beatingCroatia 10–6 at the 2003Water polo world championship inBarcelona, Spain.
Australia finished 2nd at the2018 World Cup inBerlin, Germany.[1]
At the2020 Summer Olympics, Australia surprisingly beat former championCroatia. Yet, the Australians were not to able progress through to the quarter finals, but still managed to clinch two wins out of their five games.[1]
A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia
| Olympic Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year[3] | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | |||
 1900 | did not participate | ||||||||
 1904 | |||||||||
 1908 | |||||||||
 1912 | |||||||||
 1920 | |||||||||
| 1924 | |||||||||
 1928 | |||||||||
| 1932 | |||||||||
 1936 | |||||||||
| 1948 | Group stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1952 | Group stages | 17th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1956 | Group stages | 9th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1960 | Group stages | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
 1964 | Group stages | 12th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
 1968 | qualified but did not compete | ||||||||
 1972 | Group stages | 12th | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | |||
 1976 | Group stages | 11th | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
 1980 | Group stages | 7th | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 1984 | Final Group stages | 5th | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
 1988 | Group stages | 8th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 1992 | Group stages | 5th | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 1996 | did not qualify | ||||||||
| 2000 | Group stages | 8th | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | |||
 2004 | Group stages | 9th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
 2008 | Group stages | 8th | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 2012 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |||
 2016 | Group stage | 9th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 2020 | Group stage | 9th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2024 | Quarterfinals | 8th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | |||
| Total | 0 Titles | 18/28 | 113 | 33 | 14 | 66 | |||
Silver medal Gold medalRoster for the2025 World Championships.[4][5]
Head coach:Timothy Hamill
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