For the first time in its history, the Federation of International Polo (FIP) Arena World Polo Championship will take place in the United States. Hosted by the Roseland Polo Club, in Crozet and Virginia Polo Inc, home of the University of Virginia polo club, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the contest will run through October 5-12 and will see six teams up to 12 goals (arena polo) partake – France (current title holders), Argentina, United States, Pakistan, Italy and Guatemala are the six countries that will participate.
It’s worth to notice that the first Arena World Polo Championship was played in 2023, in Argentina, at La Carona, set in Exaltación de la Cruz, Province of Buenos Aires.
Prior to the tournament, all horses underwent a pre-tournament veterinary inspection to ensure their health, soundness and condition. The Horse Master will assess and rank the horses as A, B or C based on abilities. Once graded, the horses will be placed into strings, ensuring teams are evenly matched. Teams will draw to select their polo ponies from these pooled groups.
All teams will each play two preliminary matches within their bracket. Following preliminary play, the first and second ranked teams from both brackets will advance to the semifinals. In the event of tied records, ties will be broken first by net goals, then by gross goals.
In the semifinals, the first place team from Bracket I will face the second place team from Bracket II, while the first place team from Bracket II will face the second place team from Bracket I. The winners of the semifinals will advance to the II FIP Arena World Polo Championship final and the runners-up will compete in the bronze medal match. A consolation final will be held between the two third place teams.
All teams will play at least three matches in the tournament. If a match is tied after four chukkers, a sudden-death half-chukker will be played. If the tie persists, a three-player shootout per team will determine the winner. In the event of rain, all matches will be moved to the indoor arena at Virginia Polo Inc.
THE RESULTS OF THE OPENING DAY HAVE BEEN AS FOLLOWS:
Argentina 19-9 France
USA 20-14 Guatemala
II FIP ARENA POLO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – TEAMS
- League I
Argentina: Damián Oscar Mondaca 1, Francisco Crotto 5, Andrés Laringuet 5. Total: 11.
Pakistan: Ibrahim Khalil 3, Raja Jalal Arsalan 4, Muhammad Saqib Khakwani 4. Total: 11.
France: Lucie Venot 1, Ilan Bossard 2, Elouan Badarello 3. Total: 6.
- League II
United States: Kareem Rosser 3, Jared Sheldon 5, Patrick Uretz 4. Total: 12.
Italy: Alejandro Puyana 1, Giordano Magini 4, Mariano Raigal 5. Total: 10.
Guatemala: José Ignacio Beltranena 3, Sebastián Aycinena 4, José Miguel Aguilar 3. Total: 10.
II FIP ARENA POLO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – FIXTURE
Sunday October 5
Argentina vs. France
United States vs. Guatemala
Tuesday October 7
France vs Pakistan
Guatemala vs Italy
Wednesday October 8
Argentina vs Pakistan
United States vs Italy
Friday October 10
Semifinals
Sunday October 12
Final