[1] Like the final tournament of the 2007 FINA Men's Water Polo World League all matches were contested in the Europasportpark swimming pool.

8 teams qualified for the 2018 FINA World Cup.

After playing a Round-robin every team advanced to the quarterfinals.

[3] The top eight teams from the previous world championship are no longer qualified.

Now only the top three teams from the previous world championship qualify, with one guest per continent (the highest-ranked team from the previous world championship).