As the year draws to a close, we thought we would look back at ten moments that defined the polo season. It was a year in which old records fell, young stars emerged and the sport found new places to play.
Ten moments
- St. Moritz in January. Küsnacht Practice beat Azerbaijan Land of Fire 5-4.5 on the frozen lake, in front of a record 26,200 spectators.
- Argentina win at Hickstead. They beat England 18-17 in the Bryan Morrison Trophy after extra time, in their first appearance in the fixture.
- Cambiaso’s Whitney tenth. La Dolfina/Tamera beat Coca-Cola 11-10 in the C.V. Whitney Cup final in February.
- Park Place’s Gold Cup. A 10-9 overtime win over Coca-Cola at Wellington in March, with Louis Hine, aged 19, the MVP.
- The U.S. Open in April. La Dolfina/Tamera beat La Dolfina/Catamount 12-8, and Adolfo Cambiaso won a tenth U.S. Open in the week he turned 50.
- The HPA at 150. The Polo Awards in London honoured Nina Clarkin with the Medal of Honour and celebrated the 1875 rules.
- The Queen’s Cup and Golden Jubilee. Park Place won the Cartier Queen’s Cup 9-8, and England beat the USA 9-8 at Beaufort with eight goals from Louis Hine.
- The Cambiasos at Cowdray. Adolfo and Mia Cambiaso won the Gold Cup together, 9-8 over Kazak, in July.
- England beat Brazil. A 16-7 win in the Coronation Cup at Guards on International Day.
- The Triple Crown. La Natividad La Dolfina won the Hurlingham, Tortugas and Argentine Opens, beating Ellerstina 17-13 in the Palermo final.
Honourable mentions
India beat Argentina 10-9 in New Delhi in October, the USA won the arena world title in Virginia, and South Africa beat England 8-6 at Val de Vie in November. La Dolfina also won the Argentine Women’s Open for a fifth time, and Stahl Polo won the U.S. Open Arena title in Los Angeles.
What we learned
The year confirmed what many people had suspected. The Cambiaso family remains at the heart of the top end of the sport, the women’s game is growing quickly, and British polo is finding a clearer path for its young players.
There is one more England match before the year is out, at Plettenberg Bay on 29 December, and the new season starts with the Bryan Morrison Trophy at Hickstead on 17 January 2026. Thank you for reading The Polo Blog this year, and we wish you a happy Christmas.
Sources: HPA, International Day report, Polo School Argentina, Palermo final, USPA, U.S. Open final
