World’s Largest Water Polo Tournament, world record in Orange County, California

August 18, 2025

Los Angeles, California--Almost 15,000 athletes aged 18-and-under from 942 teams headed to Southern California, where 44 venues will host Junior Olympics competition during the 2025 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics in Orange County; the event sets the world record for the World’s Largest Water Polo Tournament, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photos: Facebook/USA Water Polo

"The 2025 USA Water Polo Junior Olympics begin this weekend in Orange County as the world’s largest water polo tournament is back to deliver more action than ever before. Approximately 15,000 athletes aged 18-and-under from 942 teams will head to Southern California, where 44 venues will host Junior Olympics competition for the first two sessions of play," the Swiss Swam says.

"There are numerous stars who took center stage in Junior Olympics as young athletes. Past participants include Olympic champions Maggie Steffens and Ashleigh Johnson as well as Olympic bronze medalists Ben Hallock and Ryder Dodd, among many others. With LA28 on the horizon, a future Olympian for Team USA is very likely in the pool at the 2025 Junior Olympics!"

"The USA Water Polo Junior Olympic Championships is the largest age group water polo tournament in the Nation. Athletes and teams come from across the country to compete on the national stage," the official website says.

"The Junior Olympics Tournament consists of three divisions, the Championship Division, Classic Division and Invitational Division dependent upon the number of teams wishing to compete in that age group. Teams compete over a 4-day period within their respective age category.

"The Qualification Process:

Session I & II will require qualification through the established and traditional Zone Qualification process
Session I & II is open to ALL Zones.
Seeding for Session I & II will be based off of 2024 results, the last year that all Zones participated in the same event.
Session III is also open to ALL zones and will be an open registration, Zone Qualification tournaments are not required.
Athletes and Teams may NOT participate in Sessions I or II AND Session III. Even in different age divisions. (Ex: An athlete cannot participate on a 16U roster in Session I and an 18U roster in Session III)

"USA Water Polo is a member organization with nearly 500 high performance club programs across America, and 50,000 active participants annually. The organization hosts a variety of national championships to serve the clubs, including Junior Olympics, Masters Nationals, the US Open of Water Polo (currently the Men's & Women's Senior Nationals), Champions Cup, the Rock-tober PCA 12 & Under Classic and more," the official website says.

"USA Water Polo's mission includes governance of the U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Water Polo Teams and the development pipeline of future athletes for the Olympic Games. Toward that end, USA Water Polo launched an official Olympic Development Program in 2009. The program serves approximately 3500 athletes from throughout the US, who are introduced to high performance methods and may be identified to participate in elite level training and competition opportunities.

"Some of these athletes are selected to join Junior, Cadet, Development and Youth National Teams by virtue of their participation in our ODP Championship and National Team Selection Camp events."

"The USA Water Polo Junior Olympics, the world's largest water polo tournament, is set to take place from July 15-30 in Orange County, CA, and northern Texas. With an impressive lineup of athletes, ranging from youth to Olympians, and experienced coaches, this year's event promises to be bigger, more impactful, and full of inspiring stories," The USA Water Polo says.

"The Junior Olympics has emerged as the pinnacle event in water polo, attracting teams from across the nation. In recent years, the tournament has witnessed remarkable growth, welcoming new clubs from Chicago, Texas, and Florida into the competition. The overall participation has increased by a staggering 42 percent, mirroring the sport's growing popularity and appeal.