For more than 100 years, Australian water polo has been played one way: tough, skillful, and full of heart. Today, that cultural DNA has been reimagined as Water Polo Australia unveiled new brand identities for the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers and Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks, on the eve of the 2026 World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals in Sydney.
Built from the inside out and shaped by the players, coaches and alumni, who have represented their country and worn the ‘green & gold’ cap – the new brands are more than just a logo, they have been created to hero the athletes, elevate the teams’ as culturally relevant, and grow water polo’s commercial reach domestically and internationally.
The two brands have respected water polo’s proud history; including the Sharks establishment year (1907) and the Stingers establishment year (1975) positioned underneath the wordmark. The Stingers have also chosen to celebrate the gold medal winning teams of 1986 and 2000, with two stars positioned above their wordmark.
The two brands are also connected by a timeless ‘AUS’ heritage emblem and a unifying message to all Australians: Our Water. Our Way.
And each team now carries its own call to action.
Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers: Every Kind of Strong.
Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks: Never Favoured. Always Feared.
Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers captain Bronte Halligan was involved in several workshops that helped shape the new Stingers identity, and said the tagline speaks to the authenticity of the team.
“Every kind of strong is a really powerful tagline for the Stingers – I think it showcases our collective strength, how we are different people who come together in the pool and out of the pool to showcase who we are, but we’re also a united group and we love competing fiercely together,” Halligan said.
The process to develop the new brands went beyond design – Halligan said it was a chance for the squad to reconnect with what they stand for.
“There was a lot of reflection in the sessions to build this brand, and we got to explore really what’s important to us as a group and what’s important to our values…we were able to reflect on who we are but also decide who we want to be moving forward.”
And she’s already picturing what the new brand will mean for the next generation of Stingers.
“The new brand is really edgy and modern…it will be exciting to see young girls in the Stingers brand and to see them wearing our new logo is going to be cool, because it’s something that they can also experience and feel that connection to us,” she said.
Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks captain Nathan Power said the new brand gives the team something to genuinely stand behind.
“The Shark itself is sharp, and quite an aggressive shark. It’s something which, in comparison to other sports codes, is fierce. – For us it’s something that we can look at and know that it represents us. That’s the symbol we’re proud to wear,” Power said.
For Power, the brand identity is about honouring the past, adding value with the current group of players’, and ultimately passing it on to the next generation one day. And with the LA 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, he sees it as fuel for the road ahead.
“Any time you see the brand identity of a sports team, you want it to be something that gives you a feel of where that brand has come from, and where it is heading. For both the Sharks and the Stingers, this is another galvanising factor that we can leverage on our path towards LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032,” he said.
World Cup Finals
Australia will host the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals for the first time this month, with the top water polo nations to battle it out from 22-26 July 2026 at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre, home of the Stingers gold medal win at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
The top nations including Paris Olympic men’s silver medalists Croatia (men) and gold medalists Spain (women) will take centre stage, with Aussie sports fans offered a rare glimpse at the world’s top eight men’s and women’s teams competing for the ultimate glory in international water polo.
The Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers were the story of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with their silver medal success, where the Ord Minnett Aussie Sharks embraced the underdog status to deliver historic victories against European powerhouses Serbia and Hungary.
Aussie fans will have guaranteed front-row action to the Ord Minnett Aussie Stingers and Aussie Sharks World Cup Finals campaign with the teams competing on days one and two of the tournament – start time 6:30pm AEST.
The women’s and men’s semi-finals will take place on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 July, with the bronze and gold medal playoffs to be held on Sunday 24 July.
Tickets on sale now – click here
Find out more about the 2026 World Aquatics World Cup Finals – click here
