Twelve men's teams and eight women's teams qualified for Water polo at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Men edit
| Water Polo Men | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | – | – | 1 |  China
|
| 2007 FINA World Championships | Mar 17 – Apr 1, 2007 |  Melbourne |
3 |  Croatia Hungary Spain
|
| 2007 World League | Jul 3 – Aug 12, 2007 |  Berlin^ |
1 |  Serbia
|
| European Qualification Tournament | Sep 2–9, 2007 |  Bratislava |
1 |  Montenegro
|
| 2007 Pan American Games | Jul 13–29, 2007 |  Rio de Janeiro |
1 |  United States
|
| Oceania Qualification Tournament | Nov 30 – Dec 2, 2007 |  Auckland |
1 | Australia
|
| Olympic Qualification Tournament | Mar 2–9, 2008 |  Oradea |
4 | Germany  Italy  Greece  Canada
|
| TOTAL | 12 | |||
^Berlin is the host of the super-final only.
Women edit
| Water Polo Women | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | – | – | 1 | China
|
| European Qualification Tournament | Aug 19–26, 2007 |  Kirishi |
1 |  Netherlands
|
| 2007 Pan American Games | Jul 13–29, 2007 | Rio de Janeiro |
1 | United States
|
| Oceania Qualification Tournament | Dec 17–19, 2007 | Brisbane |
1 | Australia
|
| Olympic Qualification Tournament | Feb 17–24, 2008 | Imperia |
4 | Italy Russia Hungary Greece
|
| TOTAL | 8 | |||