# Water polo at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships – Women's tournament

The 2003 Women's World Water Polo Championship was the sixth edition of the women's water polo tournament at the World Aquatics Championships, organised by the world governing body in aquatics, the FINA. The tournament was held from 13 to 25 July 2003, and was incorporated into the 2003 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Hungary, United States, Canada, Russia and Italy qualified for this event by finishing in the top five at the 2002 FINA World Cup in Perth, Australia.

## Preliminary round
### Group A

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Canada | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6 | +23 |
| 2. | Australia | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 9 | +18 |
| 3. | Brazil | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 18 | –4 |
| 4. | Great Britain | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 41 | –37 |
* July 13, 2003
| Great Britain | 1 – 14 | Canada |
| Australia | 8 – 1 | Brazil |
* July 15, 2003
| Brazil | 2 – 9 | Canada |
| Australia | 16 – 2 | Great Britain |
* July 17, 2003
| Great Britain | 1 – 11 | Brazil |
| Australia | 3 – 6 | Canada |

### Group B

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Netherlands | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 15 | +26 |
| 2. | Russia | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 14 | +30 |
| 3. | Japan | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 32 | –13 |
| 4. | Venezuela | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 53 | –41 |
* July 13, 2003
| Japan | 4 – 13 | Russia |
| Netherlands | 18 – 4 | Venezuela |
* July 15, 2003
| Venezuela | 4 – 23 | Russia |
| Netherlands | 15 – 3 | Japan |
* July 17, 2003
| Venezuela | 4 – 12 | Japan |
| Netherlands | 8 – 8 | Russia |

### Group C

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | United States | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 15 | +20 |
| 2. | Germany | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 23 | +7 |
| 3. | Greece | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 21 | +1 |
| 4. | France | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 37 | –28 |
* July 13, 2003
| Germany | 15 – 5 | France |
| Greece | 7 – 10 | United States |
* July 15, 2003
| United States | 15 – 3 | France |
| Germany | 10 – 8 | Greece |
* July 17, 2003
| Germany | 4 – 10 | United States |
| Greece | 7 – 1 | France |

### Group D

| | Team | Points | G | W | D | L | GF | GA | Diff |
| 1. | Hungary | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 26 | +11 |
| 2. | Italy | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 24 | +5 |
| 3. | Spain | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 28 | –7 |
| 4. | Kazakhstan | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 28 | –9 |
* July 13, 2003
| Italy | 11 – 6 | Kazakhstan |
| Hungary | 16 – 7 | Spain |
* July 15, 2003
| Italy | 10 – 11 | Hungary |
| Spain | 7 – 4 | Kazakhstan |
* July 17, 2003
| Italy | 8 – 7 | Spain |
| Hungary | 10 – 9 | Kazakhstan |

## Play-offs

* July 19, 2003
| Australia | 12 – 1 | Japan |
| Italy | 8 – 5 | Greece |
| Russia | 12 – 2 | Brazil |
| Spain | 9 – 6 | Germany |

## Final round

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | | | |
| Canada | 9 | | | |
| Canada | 9 | July 23 – Barcelona | July 23 – Barcelona | | |
| Spain | 8 | July 23 – Barcelona | July 23 – Barcelona | |
| Spain | 8 | Canada | 2 | |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | | Canada | 2 | |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | Italy | 5 | |
| Italy | 8 (5) | Italy | 5 | |
| Italy | 8 (5) | | | | July 25 – Barcelona | July 25 – Barcelona |
| Netherlands | 8 (3) | | | | July 25 – Barcelona | July 25 – Barcelona |
| Netherlands | 8 (3) | | | | Italy | 6 |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | | | | | Italy | 6 |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | | | | United States | 8 |
| Russia | 8 | | | | United States | 8 |
| Russia | 8 | July 23 – Barcelona | July 23 – Barcelona | | | |
| Hungary | 6 | July 23 – Barcelona | July 23 – Barcelona | | | |
| Hungary | 6 | Russia | 7 | | | |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | | Russia | 7 | | | |
| July 21 – Barcelona | July 21 – Barcelona | United States | 11 | | Third place | Third place |
| United States | 8 | United States | 11 | | Third place | Third place |
| United States | 8 | | | | July 25 – Barcelona | July 25 – Barcelona |
| Australia | 4 | | | | July 25 – Barcelona | July 25 – Barcelona |
| Australia | 4 | | | | Canada | 7 |
| | | | | | Russia | 9 |

### Quarterfinals

* July 21, 2003
| Canada | 9 – 8 | Spain |
| Italy | 8 (5) – 8 (3) [aps] | Netherlands |
| Russia | 8 – 6 | Hungary |
| United States | 8 – 4 | Australia |

### Semifinals

* July 19, 2003 — 13th/16th place
| Great Britain | 5 – 6 | Venezuela |
| France | 4 – 9 | Kazakhstan |
* July 21, 2003 — 9th/12th place
| Greece | 14 – 4 | Brazil |
| Germany | 11 – 8 | Japan |
* July 23, 2003 — 5th/8th place
| Hungary | 6 – 3 | Australia |
| Netherlands | 7 – 3 | Spain |
* July 23, 2003 — 1st/4th place
| Canada | 2 – 5 | Italy |
| United States | 11 – 7 | Russia |

### Finals

* July 21, 2003 — 15th place
| France | 9 – 6 | Great Britain |
* July 21, 2003 — 13th place
| Kazakhstan | 15 – 5 | Venezuela |
* July 23, 2003 — 11th place
| Japan | 4 – 3 | Brazil |
* July 23, 2003 — 9th place
| Greece | 10 – 5 | Germany |
* July 25, 2003 — 7th place
| Australia | 7 – 3 | Spain |
* July 25, 2003 — 5th place
| Hungary | 8 – 7 | Netherlands |
* July 25, 2003 — Bronze Medal Match
| Canada | 7 – 9 | Russia |
* July 25, 2003 — Gold Medal Match
| United States | 8 – 6 | Italy |

## Final ranking

| Rank | Team |
| | United States |
| | Italy |
| | Russia |
| 4. | Canada |
| 5. | Hungary |
| 6. | Netherlands |
| 7. | Australia |
| 8. | Spain |
| 9. | Greece |
| 10. | Germany |
| 11. | Japan |
| 12. | Brazil |
| 13. | Kazakhstan |
| 14. | Venezuela |
| 15. | France |
| 16. | Great Britain |
* 2003 FINA Women's World champion
* United States First title

## Medalists

| Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| United StatesNicolle Payne Heather Petri Ericka Lorenz Brenda Villa Ellen Estes Natalie Golda Margaret Dingeldein Jacqueline Frank Heather Moody Robin Beauregard Amber Stachowski Gabrielle Domanic Thalia Munro Head coach Guy Baker | ItalyFrancesca Conti Martina Miceli Carmela Allucci Silvia Bosurgi Erika Lava Manuela Zanchi Tania di Mario Cinzia Ragusa Giusi Malato Alexandra Araujo Maddalena Musumeci Melania Grego Noémi Tóth Head coach Pierluigi Formiconi | RussiaValentina Vorontsova Natalya Shepelina Yekaterina Salimova Sofia Konoukh Yelena Smurova Galina Zlotnikova Anastassia Zoubkova Veronika Linkova Tatiana Petrova Olga Turova Ekaterina Shishova Svetlana Bogdanova Maria Yaina Head coach Yury Mitianin |