At Trieste Campus, the official presentation of Pallanuoto Trieste’s top teams: Paralympic, Women’s A1, and Men’s A1!

Three teams, one title to defend, and renewed ambitions. In the stunning setting of Trieste Campus, Pallanuoto Trieste officially presented the 2025/2026 season. Once again, as has been the case uninterruptedly since 2019, the Samer & Co. Shipping–sponsored club will line up in both the women’s and men’s A1 championships, the only one in Italy and among the very few in Europe to do so. Not only that: both the women’s and men’s teams will also feature on the European stage, starting from the preliminary rounds of the Champions League and Euro Cup. And then there’s the Paralympic team, which last June in Naples won the Serie A Silver championship and will be back in action in just a couple of weeks.

In front of a packed audience, Pallanuoto Trieste president Enrico Samer gave the opening remarks: “It is always a special feeling to begin the season here at Trieste Campus, which has now truly become our home. I would like to thank the sporting, institutional, and military authorities who are with us today. We are ready and determined; last season was truly excellent, we were just a step away from making it perfect, and this year we will try again. In the meantime, we are proud to celebrate the championship won by our Paralympic team—these athletes are role models and an added value for the entire Pallanuoto Trieste family. We share the same desire to succeed, fully aware that we will be competing at the highest level. Playing on the European stage is something unique, for both emotions and atmosphere, and we will do our best to make progress there too. The Orchette (women’s team) have played in two consecutive Euro Cup finals—let’s hope that this is finally the year we lift a trophy as well. In any case, we will always give our maximum effort.”

During the event, several guests took the floor: Elisa Lodi, Councillor for Sport of the Municipality of Trieste, highlighted “the commitment of the Samer family in the world of sports, having built a model club such as Pallanuoto Trieste”; Fabio Scoccimarro, Councillor for Environment and Energy of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and promoter of the Eco FVG project, underlined that “Pallanuoto Trieste is an excellence, the results achieved in recent years have been outstanding. Our wish is for the club to continue this way and perhaps climb even higher.” Gennaro Cazzetta, representing the Italian Paralympic Committee in Trieste, expressed “great satisfaction for the achievements of the Paralympic team.” Franco Del Campo, director of the Federal Training Center in Trieste, recalled “the long-standing collaboration with Pallanuoto Trieste since 2003, confirming the full availability of the Bianchi pool for the activities of the three top teams.” Finally, Andrea Marcon, President of CONI Friuli Venezia Giulia, remarked “the pleasure of being here, in such a professional atmosphere. Pallanuoto Trieste is part of a thriving regional sporting environment—keep it up.”

Pallanuoto Trieste general manager Andrea Brazzatti focused on the sporting side of the upcoming season: “We worked hard during the transfer window, with the goal of further strengthening the competitiveness of our teams. I’ve seen both the women and men training very hard these past weeks, and now it’s time to let the games speak. This also goes for the Paralympic team, which will soon face an important competition. I’m sure they’ll do it with the same grit that always sets them apart. We are aiming high, exactly where Pallanuoto Trieste deserves to be. I would also like to thank the staff working behind the scenes—behind the top teams there is a group of people who give their all, tirelessly.”

The presentation continued with the individual introductions of all players, before closing with words from the captains: Savino Mansi (Paralympic), Lucrezia Cergol (Women’s A1), and Michele Mezzarobba (vice-captain of Men’s A1), along with head coaches Daniele Bettini, Paolo Zizza, and Maurizio Mirarchi.

Now it’s just a matter of days before the first official matches. On Friday, September 26, in Dunaújváros (Hungary), the Women’s Champions League Qualification Round will begin, with Pallanuoto Trieste facing Rapallo Pallanuoto. On Sunday, September 28, the second group match will be against CN Mataró. The following week, from October 3 to 5, Montpellier (France) will host the Men’s Euro Cup Qualification Round. Shortly after, the national championships will also get underway: Women’s A1 will kick off on Saturday, October 4, with an away match against Cosenza, while on Wednesday, October 8, Pallanuoto Trieste will host De Akker Bologna at the “Bruno Bianchi” pool (kick-off at 8:00 PM) for the rescheduled first round of Men’s A1. The Paralympic team will also be back in the pool soon: on the weekend of October 11–12 in Florence, they will play the Final Four of the Coppa Italia Silver. As for the Serie A championship under the FINP banner, the competition will take place in April and May 2026.