Intercontinental Championship: A Good or Bad Idea?

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Since their creation in 1984, the Underwater Hockey World Championships have been held every two years (except between 2008 and 2016). But for the end of the 2024-2025 season, CMAS has shaken things up with a new event: the Intercontinental Championship. At first glance, this initiative seems to have everything going for it.

The goal of this zonal championship is to open the doors to the World Championships to new nations and make the level of play more consistent. It’s a unique opportunity for developing nations to join A-level competitions and, who knows, one day get close to the ultimate prize: the world champion title.

However, if you look closer, there’s a catch. CMAS has decided to end the two-year format and make the World Championships a quadrennial event, held every four years. For a sport that is still relatively unknown, this decision is seen as a major step backward that could hinder the development of the sport.

To understand the real implications of this change, UWH News interviewed several players in the sport (without a response from CMAS and some teams), starting with Nathalie Mathieu, the Men’s Masters coach, and Jacques Bréchaire, the Women’s Elite coach, whose opinions on this matter are unanimous.

« We have always been in favor of going back to a championship every two years, and that’s always what we’ve called for. This zonal championship could have been a good alternative and good preparation… unfortunately, we won’t even have time to give our opinion since the world bodies will make the decision without consulting anyone, once again, » stated Nathalie Mathieu.

On the format of the intermediate tournament itself, opinions are more divided. Jacques Bréchaire is more hesitant about the idea of a qualifying championship by zones. « This whole thing bothers me a little because it gives quotas by zone. I’m more in favor of an A-level World Championship with ten or twelve teams and a B-level World Championship with a promotion and relegation system. That way, at least, we have the best density in terms of hockey in each pool, » he said.

However, on one point, the two coaches agree: the frequency of the World Championships. « I’m in favor of a World Championship every two years. It’s completely stupid to do it every four years. It’s so demanding and requires so much work that keeping athletes motivated for four years with one goal is quite complicated, » Jacques Bréchaire added.

He also agrees with Nathalie Mathieu on the positive aspect of the qualifying tournament for development. « Yes, it’s a very good opportunity, especially for developing countries. The big teams don’t beat the small ones by ten points, so it allows them to start building momentum and be able to compete, » he concluded.

On paper, creating an intermediate championship is a relevant idea for the development of the sport. It would allow young teams to compete on the international stage and emerging nations to progress. The ideal solution would be to keep the format of a World Championship every two years, and to organize a continental championship (Europe/Africa, Asia, and America) in alternating years.