The global rhythm
The same names keep appearing in results from different continents within one year. In 2025 and 2026 the Cambiaso family, the Castagnola brothers, Hilario Ulloa and Tomas Panelo between them won titles at Wellington, Guards, Cowdray and Palermo, often within the same year. That is because the top of the sport moves with the seasons. PoloHUB's world season listing in October 2026 described the UK as out of season and Argentina as in season, with the Triple Crown running from September to December.
Month by month
This table is built from the 2025 and 2026 calendars on these pages. Dates move from year to year, so check the organiser.
| Months | Where the top polo is | Examples (year) |
|---|---|---|
| December to April | Florida winter, at the USPA National Polo Center, Wellington | 2026: season from 28 December 2025; Gauntlet of Polo from mid-February; U.S. Open final 26 April |
| January | Snow polo, and UK arena polo | 2026: Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, 23 to 25 January; Bryan Morrison Trophy at Hickstead, 17 January |
| February | Gulf winter polo; UK arena polo | 2026: Dubai Gold Cup final in mid-February; Arena Gold Cup finals at Windsor, 28 February (event listing, not confirmed) |
| March | US college and school nationals; end of the Indian season | 2026: Division I Intercollegiates, 19 to 22 March |
| May to July | UK high goal | 2026: Cartier Queen's Cup from 19 May; Gold Cup at Cowdray, 23 June to 19 July; International Day at Guards, 25 July |
| August | European high goal; US West Coast | 2026: Sotogrande Gold Cup final 29 August; Deauville Coupe d'Or 17 to 30 August (event listing, not confirmed); Pacific Coast Open in California, 14 to 30 August |
| September | France; start of the Argentine and Indian seasons | 2026: Open de France at Chantilly, 3 to 20 September; Jaipur season from 1 September |
| September to December | The Argentine Triple Crown around Buenos Aires | 2026: Hurlingham final 4 October (finished); Tortugas in progress as of October 2026; Argentine Open scheduled for November to December 2026 |
| Autumn and winter | US arena polo | 2025: U.S. Open Arena final in December |
United States
The 2026 Florida season at NPC ran 12 to 16 goal events from late December to mid-April, women's events from January to March, the 18 to 22 goal Gauntlet from mid-February to late April, and 8-goal polo in late April, with spectator Sundays from 28 December 2025 to 3 May 2026. In summer the focus moves to California, where the 2026 Pacific Coast Open was played at Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club. Arena polo fills the autumn and winter, and college polo is played mainly in arenas through the academic year, with Division I nationals in March and Division II in April in 2025. See US high goal.
United Kingdom and Europe
The UK main season runs from May to September, with arena polo through the winter, according to a hospitality guide we could not confirm elsewhere. The same guide gives the high-goal order as the Prince of Wales Trophy at the Royal County of Berkshire at the end of May, then the Queen's Cup at Guards, the Warwickshire Cup at Cirencester, the Gold Cup at Cowdray, and International Day at Guards at the end of July; it may predate recent calendar changes. In 2026, Luxury London listed the Cartier Queen's Cup from 19 May, Chestertons Polo in the Park at Hurlingham Park, Fulham, from 5 to 7 June, and weekly tournaments at Cowdray from May to September. The Gold Cup ran from 23 June to 19 July in 2026.
When the UK high goal ends in July, the European circuit moves to Sotogrande and Deauville in August and Chantilly in September. See UK high goal and international cups.
Southern hemisphere and Asia
- Argentina. A polo school blog describes the high season as September to December around Buenos Aires, built on the Triple Crown, with May to August as a low season used for training. The Women's Argentine Open is played in late November and early December, alongside the men's Argentine Open.
- Australia. New South Wales plays two seasons, autumn (March to the end of May) and spring (August to November), across more than 20 clubs in three zones. Its major trophies include the Countess of Dudley Cup, the Hector King Cup and the Morton Cup.
- India. The season runs from September to March and finishes in Jaipur.
- Dubai. The Dubai Gold Cup series is a winter event, with its 2026 final in mid-February.
High, medium and low goal
Tournaments are graded by team handicap, the total of its players' ratings (see handicaps). Each body draws the lines differently:
| Body or event | Levels |
|---|---|
| HPA, 2026 rules (levels for Victor Ludorum points) | High: 17 to 22 and 15 to 18 goals. Medium: 12 to 15. Intermediate: 10 to 12. Low: 4 to 8, 2 to 6 and 0 to 4. Women's levels are set separately. |
| USPA, 2026 Florida calendar | 8 goal, 12 to 16 goal, and 18 to 22 goal (the Gauntlet); women's events at 10 to 14 and 18 to 22 goals. |
| Cowdray Gold Cup | 22 goals, the top UK level. |
| Sotogrande | High, medium and low divisions; one summary rates the high division at 20 to 22 goals (not confirmed). |
| Deauville Coupe d'Or | 14 to 16 goals, per an event listing (not confirmed). |
| Argentine Triple Crown | Far above any capped level: 2025 Tortugas teams were rated 32 to 40 goals, and the 2024 and 2025 Palermo finals included 40-goal teams. |
| FIP World Polo Championship | 10 to 14 goals for national teams, on horses supplied by the host and pooled. |
Sources
- PoloHUB, world polo season listing
- PoloHUB, season listing (October 2026)
- Wellington The Magazine, the 2026 winter season at NPC
- Santa Barbara Independent, 2026 Pacific Coast Open announced
- California Polo Club, 2025 U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship
- Newswire, U.S. Polo Assn. supports the Division I National Intercollegiate Championships
- USPA, University of Kentucky wins the 2025 Division II men's NIC
- Team Tactics, polo corporate hospitality
- Luxury London, guide to UK polo tournaments (June 2026)
- U.S. Polo Assn., sponsorship of the 2026 Cowdray Gold Cup
- Andalucia.com, Sotogrande tournaments 2026
- Unidivers, Coupe d'Or Barriere Deauville Polo Cup 2026
- Prensa Polo, Open de France BARNES 2026
- HPA, England win the Bryan Morrison Trophy (18 January 2026)
- Windsor, the Arena Gold Cup 2026
- Swissglam, Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2026
- Polo School Argentina, polo holidays in Argentina (20 August 2025)
- Polo School Argentina, Women's Argentine Open 2025
- NSW Polo, about
- Republic World, Jaipur Polo Team and the 2026-27 season
- Dubai Polo Gold Cup, 2026 final
- HPA, Rules and Regulations for Polo 2026 (Polo South Africa copy, PDF)
- Cowdray Park Polo Club, the Gold Cup
- Asociacion Argentina de Polo, Tortugas Open 2025 report
- ESPN, Argentine Open 2025 final preview
- FIP, World Polo Championship