The 2026 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships has returned ‘home’ to Brisbane, and will light up pools across the river city from 8-18 April 2026.
Set to be one of the biggest editions of the event yet, more than 250 teams from across the country will compete across four age groups and six venues in Brisbane.
Water Polo Australia CEO Tim Welsford said: “The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is the cornerstone of our events calendar, and has grown to become a true festival of water polo.
“Each year, members of our water polo community travel from all corners of the country to gather, this year in Brisbane, for 10 days of competition.
“The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is a great celebration of our sport, and our people, but wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners, in particular Brisbane Economic Development Agency and Tourism and Events Queensland.
“I’m excited to see the next generation in the pool over the next 10 days, and wish all of our teams the best of luck,” he said.
Olympic silver medalist and Brisbane local Elle Armit will be coaching the U18 Girls UQWPC Barras, who come into the tournament full of confidence.
“It’s definitely a different experience, that’s for sure,” Armit said. “Being on the other side of the lens is pretty eye-opening. I have been coaching these girls all season and it just feels right to close the chapter on their season and hopefully come away with a win.”
The experience is extra unique for Armit. While the AYWPC wasn’t around when she was in the pathways system, she sees the event playing a pivotal part in shaping the future Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks and Stingers.
“It’s insane. This thing did not exist when I was coming through and I would’ve killed to be a part of it. These kids should be lapping up every experience they get to play with this. Some of them are playing two weeks in a row and the experience is just unmatched,” she said.
With a team of Brisbane 2032 hopefuls, including senior player Sara Connors, the team don’t have to look far to find inspiration to hopefully become an Ord Minnett Aussie Stinger.
“She’s such an inspiration. We all look up to her and she always has little bits of feedback and it’s really helpful,” Connors said.
Connors has been playing at AYWPC since she was 12 years old and is looking forward to competing and having fun with the team.
“I enjoy that it’s a team sport and being able to play with the same group of girls each year. It’s just really nice to develop and keep playing together.
“Our team goal is to win. Have fun but play hard. We’re definitely a very competitive team,” Connors said.
The 2026 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships will take place in Brisbane from 8-18 April 2026. Bringing together over 250 teams from across Australia and internationally, the event will be a true festival of water polo for teams in the 12&U, 14&U, 16&U and 18&U divisions.
A select number of games will be livestreamed via KommunityTV across the two weeks. Click here for the livestream link.
The 2026 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is supported by Brisbane City Council through Brisbane Economic Development Agency and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
