The 2012 Women's European Water Polo Championship took place at the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swim Stadium in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, from January 18 to 28, 2012.
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Road to the 2012 Olympics
The championships was part of the qualification procedure for the 2012 London Olympics that will take place in late July and early August of that year. There will be 8 women's teams in the Olympic competition.
By the time that these championships took place, three women's places have already been booked: the winner of the Pan American Games in Guadalajara (Mexico), the Australian team for Oceania (not contested) and the British team, as host nation.
As Great Britain women's team has been entered into the Olympic competition, there was not a direct entry to the Olympic tournament from the European Championships. Six women's teams will be entered into a world-wide qualifying competition from 1–8 April 2012 for men in Edmonton, Canada and from 15–22 April for women in Trieste (Italy). Four teams from this competition qualified for the Olympic tournament.
Draw
The draw was held on November 12, 2011.