2026 Pacific Zone Junior Olympic Qualification

• A maximum of 3 players can be substituted at one time. Substitutes waiting to sub in cannot touch or hang on the lane line.
• Players must visibly touch hands above the water once both the player who is leaving and the substitute are outside of the field of play and both heads are above water.
• The player subbing in must enter the water from behind the goal line and swim along the wall. The player who is leaving must swim along the side of the pool until behind the goal line.
• Substitution can occur anywhere between the team's goal line and the center line, and at any time during the game except after a penalty throw is awarded. Substitutes may not swim along the side of the pool before or during the taking of a penalty throw. Players waiting to substitute during a penalty throw must move outside of 6 meters along the wall.
• Players can stay in the substitution area for a reasonable amount of time — a similar approach as for players in the exclusion (re-entry) area.

Half time shall be 2 minutes for every game.

Each coach MUST turn in an official NJO score sheet to the Official Table thirty (30) minutes prior to each game. Score sheets will be distributed in team packets at team check-in following the coach technical meeting.

Official scorekeepers will be provided by USAWP / Site Hosts. No team officials are permitted at the scorer's desk.

First team listed wears white caps and starts the game sitting on the bench to the left, as viewed from the Official Table. Teams shall switch ends/sides at halftime.

Coaches not coaching in the current or next game should not be at the scorers table or between the benches. Coaches wishing to watch games they are not coaching should view from the spectator area. Please clear the deck as soon as possible.

Only rostered athletes and coaches are allowed in the bench area at any time.

A maximum of 3 coaches can be on the team bench during a game. Additional coaches should remain in the spectator area and act as spectators. Coaches instructing from the stands will be ejected and receive a red card.

A team shall receive a minimum of five (5) minutes in front of goals immediately prior to the start of their game. If goals are available in the warm-up area, additional time will not be given. Referees will whistle a "2 minutes until the start of game" warning after 3 minutes of cage time. Teams may choose to keep shooting or huddle. The next game will start 5 minutes after the previous game ends.

• Immediate coin toss to determine shooting order; the visiting team calls the coin toss.
• All shots are taken to the right of the scorekeepers table unless, in the referee's judgment, they should be taken the other direction (e.g. sun obscuring the goalkeeper's vision). Both teams shoot at the same goal.
• Each team places its 5 players on the scorekeeper's desk side of the pool.
• No declaration of shooting order required.
• Shots are taken alternately.
• The desk must record the shooting order on the score sheet for use if it goes to the second round.
• After the first round it is sudden death.
• The bench at the opposite shooting end can move to half tank.
• If the goalkeeper is excluded during the shootout, a field player may substitute for the goalkeeper for the penalty shot being taken at the time of the exclusion, but that field player shall not have the privileges of the goalkeeper. After that shot, the team may select a substitute goalkeeper, who shall thereafter participate in the shootout with the goalkeeper's privileges.
• If a field player is excluded during the shootout, the team may substitute another field player for the excluded field player.
• Advancement scoring: the team that wins in a shootout is given one extra goal (+1) for advancement purposes. (e.g. a 5–5 tie won by shootout records as 6–5 for advancement.)

• 10U: approximately 2 m × 0.7 m.
• 12U: approximately 2.5 m × 0.8 m.
• 14U, 16U, 18U Boys & Girls: standard goal size.

The Conduct of Championships allows for a maximum of 12 athletes in 10U divisions, 14 athletes in 12U divisions, and 18 athletes in all other divisions, plus up to 4 coaches on an NJO roster. Event credentials are limited to rostered athletes, and no more than three coaches may sit on the bench during games.

Any participant in the Championship Finals who receives a red card shall not participate in the team's next game in that division and, until the suspension is served, shall not participate with any team in any division. They may be subject to additional punishment by action of the Championship Finals Management Committee.

Any participant who receives 2 red cards, 2 misconducts, 2 brutalities, or any combination of the foregoing during that Championship shall be excluded for the remaining duration of the Championship Finals as well as all other Championship Finals being conducted concurrently.

If a coach receives a red card and there is no other coach member present, the team will forfeit the game and a score of 5–0 will be recorded in the opposing team's favor.

Only head coaches may address the referees. Assistant coaches must remain seated and may only move away from the bench during time-outs and quarter breaks. Assistant coaches may receive a verbal warning for the first minor offense, but it is an immediate red card for assistant coaches for disruptive behavior.

A participant penalized for a violation of Rule 21.11 of USA Water Polo Rules (brutality / violence) shall not participate in the team's next game in that division and, until the suspension is served, shall not participate with any team in any division, and may be subject to additional punishment by action of the Championship Finals Management Committee.

If only one coach is present at the start of a game, that coach is considered the head coach for the entirety of the match, regardless of whether they are listed as an assistant coach on the roster. If the rostered head coach arrives during the game, they are considered the assistant coach for that match.

At any time, if a coach abandons the bench area to coach another team, they will not be allowed to return as a coach to that game and may not be replaced by another coach.

• File at the time of the incident, at the next goal or time-out, or before the start of the next period — whichever comes first. If an incident occurs in the 4th quarter or during the overtime shoot-out, follow the same procedure or file within five minutes after the game, whichever comes first. If a coach fails to notify the referee per the above, the opportunity to protest is lost.
• Immediately pay a $100 cash protest fee to the Site Director, who holds it on behalf of USAWP.
• Describe the incident and nature of the protest in writing, using the Protest Form.
• Protests may not be filed for judgment calls.
• Video evidence cannot be used.

The party receiving the protest shall notify each of the following (if not the party receiving the protest):

• The Site Director
• The Tournament Director
• The lead referee at the game site, or in their absence, the NJO head referee(s)

The Lead Referee shall notify the opposing team's coach of the protest.

All protests shall be considered by the Championship Finals Management Committee (CFMC) and its decision shall be final.

Note: If an adverse condition is known prior to the start of a game, all provisions apply except filing must be completed before the signal to start the game is given by the game referee. Teams will proceed with the game at the scheduled time.

• 10U Mixed and 12U Mixed teams must have athletes of both genders on their roster, in the water to start each game, and ready and able to play for the duration of every game.
• 10U athletes may only play in one 10U division. Athletes are still permitted to play in one 10U division and one 12U division provided both divisions are in Sessions 1 and 2 OR in Session 3. Athletes may not play in Sessions 1 or 2 AND Session 3.