The Kazakhstan women's water polo team lost to Uzbekistan in the final match of the 2026 Asian Games, hosted by Japan, according to infohub.kz.
In the last round, the team coached by Montenegrin Zoran Maslovar faced Uzbekistan. Regulation time ended in a draw — 8:8, with the opponents equalizing three seconds before the final buzzer.
In the penalty shootout, both teams scored five consecutive goals, but Kazakhstan was the first to miss, giving Uzbekistan the victory — 14:13 (6:5).
Kazakhstan finished the round-robin tournament with six points. They are in third place, but a bronze medal is not yet guaranteed. If Thailand beats Singapore in regulation time in their final match, Thailand will take the podium spot. Uzbekistan finished the competition with five points. China and Japan will compete for gold in their head-to-head match.
It is worth noting that Kazakhstan has medaled at every previous Asian Games where women's water polo was featured: silver in Guangzhou 2010 and Jakarta 2018, bronze in Incheon 2014 and Hangzhou 2022.