Kazakhstan's men's water polo team opened its campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya with a heavy defeat to the host nation, 11:19 (2:4, 1:5, 1:4, 7:6), according to infohub.kz.

The buildup to the first men's water polo match in Nagoya was compelling: Kazakhstan, a six-time Asian Games champion, against Japan, a five-time winner and the reigning champion.

At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, Kazakhstan lost to Japan in group play 13:15. This time there was no close contest. Japan raced to a 3:0 lead and extended the margin to five goals by halftime, 8:3.

Montenegrin coach Nemanja Knežević called timeouts in a futile attempt to rally his players. The hosts kept widening the gap. By the end of the third quarter, Kazakhstan trailed 4:13. The Kazakhs won the final period but only slightly reduced the deficit, finishing at 11:19.

A deeply disappointing loss. Yet it was hardly a catastrophe. All eight teams advance to the quarterfinals. The group stage merely determines seeding for the playoff bracket.

Kazakhstan men's water polo team roster at the 2026 Asian Games:

Goalkeepers: Akzhan Adai, Temirlan Balfanbayev.

Defenders: Ruslan Akhmetov, Srđan Vuksanović, Rustam Ukumanov, Eduard Tsoi, Aleksei Shmider.

Forwards: Yegor Belousov, Yulian Verdesh, Dušan Marković, Mikhail Rudai, Nurasyl Satbergen, Murat Shakenov, Sultan Shonzhigitov.

2026 Asian Games. Water polo. Men. Group A: Kazakhstan, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong. Group B: South Korea, Iran, Singapore, China.

The men's water polo tournament at the Asian Games has been held since 1951. Kazakhstan has won it six times (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, 2018) and claimed bronze twice (2006, 2022).

The 20th Asian Summer Games officially opened on September 19 and will close on October 4. Athletes from 45 countries are competing for 460 medal sets. Kazakhstan's team at the 2026 Asian Games comprises 558 athletes in 35 sports.

On the first day of the Games, Kazakhstan won four gold medals. Cyclists Rinata Sultanova and Alexey Lutsenko became champions, along with karateka Zholaman Bigabyl and Sofia Berultseva. MMA fighter Yerkingali Burkutalin added a fifth gold, and his mixed martial arts teammate Kadyrbek Shynbayev made it six. On September 23, Lutsenko became a two-time champion of the 2026 Asian Games. The eighth gold was won on September 24 by rowers Vladislav Yakovlev and Ivan Chernukhin in the men's coxless pairs.

After six days of competition, Kazakhstan stood fourth in the unofficial medal standings.