USAWP Junior Olympics
The USA Water Polo Junior Olympic Championships (JO’s) is the largest and most prestigious water polo tournament in America. Athletes and teams come to California from across the country to compete on the national stage. The Junior Olympics Tournament consists of three divisions, the Championship, Classic, and Invitational Divisions. Teams compete over a 4-day period against the best teams in the nation.
For our athletes, the Junior Olympics represents the culmination of a year of hard work, dedication, and passion for the sport of water polo.
Competing in the Junior Olympics is an incredible opportunity for our athletes to:
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Compete at the Highest Level: Play against the best teams from around the country.
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Showcase Their Skills: Demonstrate their talent and hard work on a national stage.
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Experience Growth: Challenge themselves and grow as both players and individuals.
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Create Lasting Memories: Form strong bonds with their teammates and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Great question!
The nation is broken into 12 regions called “zones.” The East Bay is in the Pacific zone. Each zone has a zone qualifying tournament for every age group in June. Because there are many teams in the Pacific zone, our zone qualifiers are held over multiple weekends.
The JO Qualifying Tournaments is strongly recommended for all athletes selected for and wishing to attend JO’s.
The Junior Olympics is headquartered in Irvine, CA at Woollett Aquatic Center. Given the size of the tournament field, there is only a single region in the country that can accommodate so many teams and games in a jampacked 4 day tournament.
JO Championships is held over the last couple of weekends in July. One weekend for the girls and mixed teams, and one weekend for the boys. USAWP tends to alternate which division plays in Session I and Session II.
Junior Olympic Qualifiers Dates:
June 5th – 7th, 2026 – 10u Girls, 10u Mixed, 10u Boys, 12u Girls, 12u Boys, 12u Mixed, 14u Girls and 14u Boys
Location: Bay Area, CA
The National JO Championships is held over the last couple of weekends in July. One weekend for the girls and mixed teams, and one weekend for the boys. USAWP tends to alternate which division plays in Session I and Session II.
Junior Olympic Finals Dates:
Session 1: July 18th – 21st, 2026:
Age groups: 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U girls & mixed
Session 2: July 23rd – 26th, 2026:
Age groups: 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 18U boys
Location: Irvine, CA
Age Group Divisions for Junior Olympics July, 2026:
10&U: born on or AFTER August 2nd, 2015.
12&U: born on or AFTER August 2nd, 2013.
14&U: born on or AFTER August 2nd, 2011.
16&U: born on or AFTER August 2nd, 2009.
18&U: born on or AFTER August 2nd, 2007.
All athletes must be current members of USA Water Polo (Silver, Gold, or Seasonal Athlete Membership; Splashball membership is not applicable). To register or renew with USA WP, please visit www.usawaterpolo.org.
All athletes interested in participating at Junior Olympics must be Gold Athlete Members.
Important Note: Athletes wishing to be selected to a JO Team must be affiliated with our Club, YOLO POLO, no later than 7 days prior to the commencement of the Pacific Zone qualification tournament. USAWP is very strict on this requirement.
USAWP has an age verification requirement. As part of your initial registration, there is a one-time charge to verify the birthdate of each athlete. This process can take up to seven days to receive results so please don’t delay! We encourage all of our members who have the intention of participating on one of our Club JO teams to complete the verification process as described by USAWP as soon as possible.
Junior Olympics is an additional cost to athletes. Expect to pay roughly $500 for tournament fees and coaching. There are also additional lodging and travel expenses. We do everything possible to keep our costs reasonable while still providing an extraordinary experience.
Going to JO’s is a serious commitment – to yourself and the team! In order to deliver an exceptional experience for all families, the expectation is that athletes on this team should be planning to attend all summer workouts & scheduled competitions, including the JO Qualifying Tournament.
In order to be considered for a JO roster spot, we require a $250 JO Qualification deposit. This deposit covers the cost of the JO qualification tournaments and is non-refundable for athletes selected to the JO Qualification team roster. JO Qualification deposits are due in May 2026.
JO qualification & tournament rosters are limited to a maximum of 15 players–however, we intend to form smaller rosters to deliver more opportunity for each athlete. Should an athlete not be selected for a JO Qualification roster, Yolo Polo will return the JO Qualification deposit. Athletes not selected to a JO team will still participate in all non-JO related summer events, such as practices, scrimmages & local tournaments.