Water Polo - Team Netherlands

General
The Netherlands secured a spot for the Tokyo Games through the World Qualification Tournament, which was held in January 2021. Two Olympic spots were up for grabs at the event contested in Italy, so a place in the final was enough.

The Dutch are making their third Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020. They placed fourth on their debut in 2000 in Sydney, and then won gold eight years later in Beijing. Their run to the final in 2008 was not without complications, however, as the team's record of two losses and one victory in the group stage meant they scraped through to the knockout rounds as the third-ranked team. They managed a 13-11 win over Italy in the quarterfinals, and then beat Hungary 8-7 in the last four. The final was another close contest, but they overcame the United States of America 9-8 to take gold.

The Netherlands have won five medals at the world championships, although only one - a silver in 2015 - has come in the 21st century. They claimed their sole world title at the 1991 edition of the tournament in Perth. In 2019 in Gwangju, the Dutch reached the quarterfinals where they were beaten 12-8 by eventual silver medallists, Spain.