The biggest water polo event in Singapore, the Asian Water Polo Cup, starts on Tuesday at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex.
There will be six teams competing in the men's category and five women's teams.
Among the favourites are powerhouses China and Iran.
Ranking points are also at stake -- the top men's and top two women's teams will qualify for the World Cup in 2014 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
With China sending a youth team, Iran looks set to be the biggest threat for Singapore in the men's game.
Team Singapore are using the event as a tune-up for December’s SEA Games in Myanmar.
Samuel Wong, the manager for Team Singapore Water Polo, said: "Definitely for Asia Cup Water Polo, the playing standard is definitely one notch higher than the SEA Games level.
“So through this experience, we hope that we are more prepared, more geared for the SEA Games."
The Asian Cup experience will also see Singapore fielding a stronger team for the Myanmar SEA Games in December.
But Singapore's SEA Games rivals, like Indonesia, still aim to challenge Singapore's stranglehold on the gold medal.
Paul Tan, the vice captain of Team Singapore Water Polo, said: "Definitely, everybody will try to beat us -- being gold medallist all the way, we do have the added pressure.
“Everybody wants to topple us, nobody wants to come in second all the time, but I think we are ready as a squad, as a country, we are ready."
Singapore is gunning for a 25th straight gold medal in Myanmar for water polo.
The republic has won every SEA Games gold medal in water polo since the country's independence in 1965.
