# Water polo at the 1973 World Aquatics Championships – Men's tournament

The 1973 Men's World Water Polo Championship was the first edition of the men's water polo tournament at the World Aquatics Championships, organised by the world governing body in aquatics, the FINA. The tournament was held from 1 to 9 September 1973, and was incorporated into the inaugural 1973 World Aquatics Championships in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

## Participating teams

| Americas | Asia | Europe | Oceania |
| Cuba Mexico United States | Israel | Bulgaria Great Britain Greece Hungary Italy Netherlands Romania Soviet Union Spain West Germany Yugoslavia | Australia |

### Groups formed
## Preliminary round

* Qualified for places 1–6 in a round robin group. (Group D)
* Will play for places 7–12 in a round robin group. (Group E)
* Will play for places 13–16 in a round robin group. (Group F)

### Group A

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Soviet Union | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 14 | +27 |
| 2. | Yugoslavia | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 22 | +13 |
| 3. | Netherlands | 6 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 19 | +7 |
| 4. | Mexico | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 24 | –2 |
| 5. | Australia | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 29 | –11 |
| 6. | Great Britain | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 40 | –34 |
* 1 September 1973
| Netherlands | 5 – 3 | Mexico |
| Yugoslavia | 9 – 0 | Great Britain |
| Soviet Union | 9 – 3 | Australia |
* 2 September 1973
| Australia | 4 – 1 | Great Britain |
| Soviet Union | 5 – 4 | Netherlands |
| Yugoslavia | 6 – 5 | Mexico |
* 3 September 1973
| Mexico | 5 – 3 | Australia |
| Soviet Union | 14 – 1 | Great Britain |
| Yugoslavia | 8 – 5 | Netherlands |
* 4 September 1973
| Yugoslavia | 10 – 6 | Australia |
| Netherlands | 8 – 1 | Great Britain |
| Soviet Union | 7 – 4 | Mexico |
* 5 September 1973
| Mexico | 5 – 3 | Great Britain |
| Netherlands | 4 – 2 | Australia |
| Soviet Union | 6 – 2 | Yugoslavia |

### Group B

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Hungary | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11 | +25 |
| 2. | Italy | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 14 | +11 |
| 3. | Romania | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 18 | +12 |
| 4. | Spain | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 25 | –5 |
| 5. | Israel | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 49 | –43 |
* 1 September 1973
| Spain | 11 – 3 | Israel |
| Italy | 5 – 4 | Romania |
* 2 September 1973
| Romania | 12 – 1 | Israel |
| Hungary | 7 – 3 | Spain |
* 3 September 1973
| Italy | 5 – 2 | Spain |
| Hungary | 15 – 0 | Israel |
* 4 September 1973
| Hungary | 6 – 4 | Italy |
| Romania | 10 – 4 | Spain |
* 5 September 1973
| Italy | 11 – 2 | Israel |
| Hungary | 8 – 4 | Romania |

### Group C

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Cuba | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 11 | +8 |
| 2. | United States | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 17 | +1 |
| 3. | West Germany | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| 4. | Greece | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 19 | –3 |
| 5. | Bulgaria | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 25 | –6 |
* 1 September 1973
| West Germany | 1 – 1 | Greece |
| United States | 4 – 3 | Cuba |
* 2 September 1973
| Cuba | 7 – 2 | Greece |
| Bulgaria | 6 – 5 | United States |
* 3 September 1973
| United States | 3 – 3 | West Germany |
| Cuba | 3 – 0 | Bulgaria |
* 4 September 1973
| Cuba | 6 – 5 | West Germany |
| Greece | 8 – 5 | Bulgaria |
* 5 September 1973
| United States | 6 – 5 | Greece |
| West Germany | 9 – 8 | Bulgaria |

## Final round
### 13th – 16th places (Group F)

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 13. | Bulgaria | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 10 | +6 |
| 14. | Australia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 5 | +13 |
| 15. | Great Britain | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 14 | +2 |
| 16. | Israel | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 30 | –21 |
Preliminary round results apply.
* 6 September 1973
| Bulgaria | 3 – 2 | Australia |
| Great Britain | 10 – 5 | Israel |
* 7 September 1973
| Bulgaria | 8 – 3 | Israel |
* 8 September 1973
| Bulgaria | 5 – 5 | Great Britain |
| Australia | 12 – 1 | Israel |

### 7th – 12th places (Group E)

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 7. | Romania | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 21 | +14 |
| 8. | Netherlands | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 31 | 18 | +13 |
| 9. | Mexico | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 22 | –1 |
| 10. | Spain | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 29 | –7 |
| 11. | West Germany | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 27 | –8 |
| 12. | Greece | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 28 | –11 |
Preliminary round results apply.
* 6 September 1973
| Romania | 11 – 6 | Greece |
| Netherlands | 5 – 4 | Spain |
| West Germany | 7 – 6 | Mexico |
* 7 September 1973
| Spain | 6 – 5 | West Germany |
| Mexico | 4 – 4 | Greece |
| Romania | 6 – 5 | Netherlands |
* 8 September 1973
| Spain | 5 – 4 | Greece |
| Netherlands | 9 – 3 | West Germany |
| Romania | 3 – 3 | Mexico |
* 9 September 1973
| Romania | 5 – 3 | West Germany |
| Mexico | 5 – 3 | ' Spain |
| Netherlands | 7 – 2 | Greece |

### 1st – 6th places (Group D)

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Hungary | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 17 | +11 |
| 2. | Soviet Union | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 16 | +14 |
| 3. | Yugoslavia | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 22 | +1 |
| 4. | Italy | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 25 | –3 |
| 5. | United States | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 28 | –6 |
| 6. | Cuba | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 32 | –17 |
Preliminary round results apply.
* 6 September 1973
| Hungary | 6 – 2 | United States |
| Soviet Union | 6 – 2 | Italy |
| Yugoslavia | 8 – 3 | Cuba |
* 7 September 1973
| Yugoslavia | 6 – 5 | United States |
| Italy | 6 – 3 | Cuba |
| Hungary | 5 – 4 | Soviet Union |
* 8 September 1973
| United States | 6 – 5 | Italy |
| Hungary | 3 – 3 | Yugoslavia |
| Soviet Union | 6 – 2 | Cuba |
* 9 September 1973
| Hungary | 8 – 4 | Cuba |
| Italy | 5 – 4 | Yugoslavia |
| Soviet Union | 8 – 5 | United States |

## Final ranking

| RANK | TEAM |
| | Hungary |
| | Soviet Union |
| | Yugoslavia |
| 4. | Italy |
| 5. | United States |
| 6. | Cuba |
| 7. | Romania |
| 8. | Netherlands |
| 9. | Mexico |
| 10. | Spain |
| 11. | West Germany |
| 12. | Greece |
| 13. | Bulgaria |
| 14. | Australia |
| 15. | Great Britain |
| 16. | Israel |
* 1973 FINA Men's World champions
* Hungary First title
* Team roster
* Balazs Balla, Andrá Bodner, Gabor Csapo, Tibor Czervengak, Tamas Farago, István Görgenyi, Zoltán Kasas, Ferenc Konrad, Endre Molnar, László Sarosi, István Szivos Jr. Head coach: Dezső Gyarmati

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Hungary Balazs Balla András Bodnár Gábor Csapó Tibor Cservenyák Tamás Faragó István Görgényi Zoltán Kásás Ferenc Konrád Endre Molnár László Sárosi István Szívós Jr. Head coach: Dezső Gyarmati | Soviet Union Anatoly Akimov Aleksei Barkalov Aleksandr Dreval Andrey Frolov Aleksandr Kabanov Yuri Mityanin Nuzgari Mshvenieradze Leonid Osipov Vitaly Romanchuk Sergey Shevernyov Vladimir Zhmudsky Head coach: Anatoly Blumental | Yugoslavia Siniša Belamarić Ozren Bonačić Milan Franković Boško Lozica Predrag Manojlović Miloš Marković Đorđe Perišić Damir Polić Ratko Rudić Đuro Savinović Nikola Stamenić Head coach: Ratko Rudić |