Why there is no single list
Polo handicaps are set by national governing bodies: the Asociacion Argentina de Polo (AAP) in Argentina, the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) in the UK, and the USPA in the United States, among others. Each reviews its own ratings on its own timetable. The ratings below are never merged across bodies. For how the scale works, see handicaps.
Argentina (AAP): 10-goal men for 2026
The AAP approved its 2026 handicaps at its board meeting on 10 December 2025, effective from 1 January 2026, and published them on 11 December 2025. La Nacion reported six men at 10 goals in Argentina for 2026:
| Player | AAP handicap, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Adolfo Cambiaso | 10 |
| Adolfo "Poroto" Cambiaso | 10 |
| Camilo "Jeta" Castagnola | 10 |
| Bartolome "Barto" Castagnola | 10 |
| Facundo Pieres | 10 |
| Pablo Mac Donough | 10 |
POLO+10's December 2025 review names the same six men at 10 and notes that no man was promoted to 10 for 2026. The first four played together in 2025 as La Natividad La Dolfina, a 40-goal team.
Notable AAP changes for 2026
| Change | Players |
|---|---|
| 10 to 9 | Juan Martin Nero, after 17 straight years at 10 (held since 2008) |
| 8 to 9 | Antonio Heguy |
| 7 to 8 | Lorenzo Chavanne, Lucas Criado (h), Paco de Narvaez, Beltran Laulhe, Felipe Vercellino |
| 6 to 7 | Louis Hine and Ignacio Viana, among others |
| 9 to 8 | Jeronimo del Carril, Ignatius du Plessis |
United Kingdom (HPA)
We did not find a full current HPA 10-goal list. What is published is the HPA's July 2026 review for the 15 to 22 goal category, effective from 1 January 2027, as reported by Prensa Polo on 23 July 2026:
| Change for 2027 | Player |
|---|---|
| 9 to 10 | Barto Castagnola, the only player raised to 10 in this review |
| 10 to 9 | Polito Pieres |
| 8 to 9 | Lorenzo Chavanne |
| 9 to 8 | Francisco Elizalde, Juan Martin Nero |
Reading the change list backwards, Polito Pieres was HPA 10 and Barto Castagnola HPA 9 during the 2026 UK season. That is our inference from the list, not a published HPA figure.
United States (USPA)
We did not find a full current USPA 10-goal list; the USPA's player site blocked our reader. What the 2026 season shows:
- In the USPA's line-ups for the 2026 U.S. Open final, Camilo Castagnola (Pilot) and Tomas Panelo (BTA) were listed at 10 goals.
- Maxim's account of the 2026 U.S. Open named Adolfo Cambiaso, Poroto Cambiaso, Hilario Ulloa, Tomas Panelo and Barto Castagnola as 10-goal players in the field.
How the bodies differ. Tomas Panelo and Hilario Ulloa were 10 goals in US line-ups in 2026, but both were listed at 9 on AAP handicaps in the 2025 Tortugas entry list. Barto Castagnola was named among 10-goalers in Florida in 2026 and was AAP 10 for 2026, yet our reading of the HPA's change list (above) puts him at 9 in the UK that summer.
The top of the women's scale
Women's handicaps are a separate scale from the open handicaps above and must not be compared with them. The AAP's women's handicaps run from 0 to 10 and apply only in women's tournaments, a rule the AAP adopted in March 2010. The HPA's 2026 rules place women on a women's scale of -2 to 10, and the HPA's own guide to the game says that scale is used only in women-only matches.
| Player | Rating and source |
|---|---|
| Mia Cambiaso | AAP women's 10 for 2026, up from 9. POLO+10 calls her the third member of the Cambiaso family to reach 10, on the women's scale. |
| Hazel Jackson | 10 on the women's scale in the 2025 Women's Argentine Open line-ups. |
| Candelaria Fernandez Araujo | 10 on the women's scale in the 2025 Women's Argentine Open line-ups. |
| Catalina Lavinia | AAP women's 9 for 2026, up from 8. |
| Nina Clarkin | Disputed. Cowdray called her ten-goal and the world's top-ranked woman in July 2026. The AAP lowered her women's handicap from 9 to 8 for 2026, the only woman it lowered. The figures may come from different bodies, but Cowdray does not say which scale it used. |
A Pololine headline reported Hope Arellano at 10 goals, but we saw only the headline and not its date, so we do not list her rating.
Form guide: who won what, 2025 to 2026
- Adolfo Cambiaso: the 2025 Triple Crown (his fifth), the 2025 Gold Cup at Cowdray (his ninth), the 2025 C.V. Whitney Cup and U.S. Open in Florida, and his 17th Hurlingham Open in 2026.
- Camilo Castagnola: the 2025 Triple Crown, the 2026 Cartier Queen's Cup with Balanz Capital, the 2026 USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open with Pilot, and the 2026 Hurlingham Open.
- Lorenzo Chavanne: MVP of the 2026 USPA Gold Cup and U.S. Open, top scorer of the 2026 Queen's Cup, raised to AAP 8 for 2026 and HPA 9 for 2027.
The 2026 Queen's Cup, the 2026 USPA Gold Cup and the 2025 C.V. Whitney Cup results above rest on search-result summaries, because the reports themselves could not be opened.
Results for each event are on the Triple Crown, UK high goal and US high goal pages. For the great players of earlier eras, see notable players.
Sources
- Asociacion Argentina de Polo, 2026 handicaps (11 December 2025)
- La Nacion via Yahoo, polo handicap changes (11 December 2025)
- POLO+10, December 2025 handicap review
- Asociacion Argentina de Polo, Tortugas Open 2025 report
- Prensa Polo, UK handicap changes for 2027 (23 July 2026)
- USPA, 2026 U.S. Open Polo Championship final release
- Maxim, USPA record-breaking season at the U.S. Open (2026)
- HPA, about polo
- HPA, Rules and Regulations for Polo 2026 (Polo South Africa copy, PDF)
- AAP, women's tournament regulations 2026 (PDF)
- Polo School Argentina, Women's Argentine Open 2025
- Cowdray Park Polo Club, Yaguara crowned Ladies Open champions (20 July 2026)
- Buenos Aires Herald, Cambiaso adds another title (8 December 2025)
- Cowdray Park Polo Club, Cambiasos make history (2025)
- Prensa Polo, La Natividad La Dolfina win the 2026 Hurlingham Open
- Guards Polo Club, Balanz Capital win the Cartier Queen's Cup (2026)
- USPA, 2025 U.S. Open Polo Championship final