# Water polo at the 1976 Summer Olympics

The water polo tournament at the 1976 Summer Olympics was held from 18 to 27 July 1976 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

## Qualification

| Event | Dates | Hosts | Quotas | Qualified Teams |
| Host Nation | 12 May 1970 | Amsterdam | 1 | Canada |
| 1974 Asian Games | 2-7 September 1974 | Tehran | 1 | Iran |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | Soviet Union |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | Hungary |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | Italy |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | Cuba |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | Romania |
| 1975 World Championships | 19-25 July 1975 | Cali | 6 | West Germany |
| 1975 Pan American Games | 16-20 October 1975 | Mexico City | 1 | Mexico |
| European Qualifier | 23-25 April 1976 | West Berlin | 1 | Yugoslavia |
| Oceania Qualifier | | | 1 | Australia |
| African Qualifier | | | 1 | Nigeria |
| Reallocation | | | 1 | Netherlands |
| Total | | | 12 | |

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| HungaryGábor Csapó Tibor Cservenyák Tamás Faragó György Gerendás György Horkai György Kenéz Ferenc Konrád Endre Molnár László Sárosi Attila Sudár István Szívós, Jr. | ItalyUmberto Panerai Roldano Simeoni Riccardo De Magistris Alessandro Ghibellini Sante Marsili Vincenzo D'Angelo Marcello Del Duca Gianni De Magistris Alberto Alberani Silvio Baracchini Luigi Castagnola | NetherlandsAlex Boegschoten Ton Buunk Piet de Zwarte Andy Hoepelman Evert Kroon Nico Landeweerd Hans Smits Gijze Stroboer Rik Toonen Hans van Zeeland Jan Evert Veer |

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Italy | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 13 | +13 |
| 2. | Yugoslavia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 10 | +15 |
| 3. | Cuba | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22 | 15 | +7 |
| 4. | Iran | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 39 | –35 |
* 18 July 1976
| Yugoslavia | 4 – 4 | Cuba |
| Italy | 12 – 1 | Iran |
* 19 July 1976
| Yugoslavia | 15 – 0 | Iran |
| Italy | 8 – 6 | Cuba |
* 20 July 1976
| Yugoslavia | 6 – 6 | Italy |
| Cuba | 12 – 3 | Iran |

### Group B

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Netherlands | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 10 | +4 |
| 2. | Romania | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 14 | +4 |
| 3. | Soviet Union | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 12 | +2 |
| 4. | Mexico | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 | –10 |
* 18 July 1976
| Netherlands | 5 – 3 | Mexico |
| Romania | 5 – 5 | Soviet Union |
* 19 July 1976
| Netherlands | 3 – 2 | Soviet Union |
| Romania | 8 – 3 | Mexico |
* 20 July 1976
| Netherlands | 6 – 5 | Romania |
| Soviet Union | 7 – 4 | Mexico |

### Group C

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Hungary | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 | +2 |
| 2. | West Germany | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 |
| 3. | Canada | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 14 | –6 |
| 4. | Australia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 | –3 |
* 18 July 1976
| Hungary | 7 – 6 | Australia |
| Canada | 0 – 5 | West Germany |
* 19 July 1976
| West Germany | 4 – 3 | Australia |
| Canada | 2 – 4 | Hungary |
* 20 July 1976
| Hungary | 4 – 0 | West Germany |
| Canada | 6 – 5 | Australia |

## Classification round
### Group D

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 7. | Cuba | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 16 | +18 |
| 8. | Soviet Union | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 16 | +17 |
| 9. | Canada | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 21 | +6 |
| 10. | Mexico | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 19 | +5 |
| 11. | Australia | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 22 | 25 | –3 |
| 12. | Iran | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 53 | –45 |
* 22 July 1976
| Cuba | 5 – 0 $^1$ | Soviet Union |
| Canada | 4 – 3 | Australia |
| Mexico | 11 – 3 | Iran |
* 23 July 1976
| Soviet Union | 4 – 3 | Mexico |
| Canada | 5 – 7 | Cuba |
| Australia | 8 – 2 | Iran |
* 24 July 1976
| Cuba | 4 – 4 | Mexico |
| Soviet Union | 7 – 2 | Australia |
| Canada | 8 – 1 | Iran |
* 26 July 1976
| Cuba | 10 – 2 | Iran |
| Canada | 6 – 6 | Soviet Union |
| Australia | 4 – 4 | Mexico |
* 27 July 1976
| Cuba | 8 – 5 | Australia |
| Soviet Union | 16 – 0 | Iran |
| Canada | 4 – 4 | Mexico |
$^1$ The Soviet Union forfeited the match due to player illness. The USSR also threatened to quit the tournament after failing to make the medal round, but this never materialized.

### Group E

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Hungary | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 24 | +6 |
| 2. | Italy | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 20 | +1 |
| 3. | Netherlands | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 | 17 | +1 |
| 4. | Romania | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 25 | +1 |
| 5. | Yugoslavia | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 24 | –3 |
| 6. | West Germany | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 21 | –6 |
* 22 July 1976
| Hungary | 6 – 5 | Italy |
| Netherlands | 3 – 2 | West Germany |
| Romania | 5 – 5 | Yugoslavia |
* 23 July 1976
| Hungary | 5 – 3 | West Germany |
| Italy | 5 – 4 | Yugoslavia |
| Netherlands | 4 – 4 | Romania |
* 24 July 1976
| Hungary | 5 – 3 | Netherlands |
| Italy | 4 – 4 | Romania |
| Yugoslavia | 4 – 4 | West Germany |
* 26 July 1976
| Hungary | 9 – 8 | Romania |
| Italy | 4 – 3 | West Germany |
| Netherlands | 5 – 3 | Yugoslavia |
* 27 July 1976
| Hungary | 5 – 5 | Yugoslavia |
| Italy | 3 – 3 | Netherlands |
| Romania | 5 – 3 | West Germany |