Argentine Open Polo Championship 2026: Schedule, Dates and Tickets

The 133rd Argentine Open, the biggest tournament in polo, starts this Saturday at Palermo after two changes to its calendar. This page has the Argentine Open Polo Championship 2026 schedule as it stands today, and we will update it as the tournament goes on.

Updated November 12, 2026, two days before the first match.

Argentine Open Polo Championship 2026 schedule: what time it starts

The Argentine Open Polo Championship 2026 runs from Saturday, November 14 to Saturday, December 12 at the Campo Argentino de Polo in Palermo, Buenos Aires. The final is on Saturday, December 12 at 4:30 p.m. Buenos Aires time, which is Saturday, December 12, 2:30 p.m. US Eastern, on field 1.

On zone days the matches are listed at 2:00 p.m. on field 2 and 4:30 p.m. on field 1, Buenos Aires time, and the gates open at noon, according to Estilo Punta's preview of November 8.

How to watch

Every match is streamed live on Disney+ Premium in Argentina and the rest of Latin America, and on the organizer's own stream at live.aapolo.com, the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) said in its tournament announcement of November 12.

The announcement does not say whether either stream can be watched from other countries. Check the AAP's official channels before each match day.

Dates and programme, day by day

This is the new calendar that Prensa Polo published on October 29. Zone A plays on Saturdays and Zone B on Sundays, plus one midweek round each.

The AAP published the opening weekend on November 12. Times are Buenos Aires time.

What is not published yet: the pairings from match day 3 on. The AAP's announcement only lists the first weekend.

Why the dates moved

The Open was first announced for November 10 to December 12. It was then moved to November 4 to December 6 because of Pope Leo XIV's visit to Argentina, Prensa Polo reported.

Rain then delayed the Tortugas Open, the tournament played just before, and the start was moved again to November 14. Some guides and ticket pages still show November 10 and call December 5 and 6 "semifinals". In the new calendar those two days are the last zone rounds.

Rain can change things again. If you are travelling, confirm the day before.

The ten teams and the zones

Ten teams play for the title in two zones of five. Each team's number is its handicap: the four players' ratings added together.

The zones and team handicaps below are the ones in the AAP's announcement of November 12. The best team of each zone plays the final.

Zone A

• La Natividad La Dolfina (40): Camilo Castagnola, Adolfo Cambiaso, his son Adolfo Cambiaso Jr., Bartolomé Castagnola Jr. Defending champion.
• La Hache Polo Team (34): Hilario Ulloa, Carlos M. Ulloa, Benjamín Panelo, Tomás Panelo.
• La Irenita (34): won its place in the qualifying tournament. The October guide lists Pablo Pieres, Paco de Narváez, Pablo Mac Donough and Matías Mac Donough Jr.
• La Ensenada (33): Juan Britos Jr., Diego Cavanagh, Juan Martín Zubía, Jerónimo del Carril.
• Don Ercole (31): Facundo Llosa, Kristos Magrini, Pedro Zacharias, Felipe Vercellino.

Zone B

• Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú (37): Facundo Pieres, Antonio Heguy, Gonzalo Pieres Jr., Cruz Heguy.
• Las Monjitas (35): Rufino Bensadón, Lucas Monteverde, David Stirling Jr., Juan Martín Nero.
• Híper Polo Club (33): Victorino Ruiz Jorba, Gonzalo Ferrari, Francisco Elizalde, Teodoro Lacau.
• La Zeta Kazak (33): won its place in the qualifying tournament. The October guide lists Guillermo Caset Jr., Beltrán Laulhé, Lorenzo Chavanne and Nicolás Pieres.
• La Aguada Daily Mail (32): Bautista Bayugar, Alfredo Bigatti, Ignacio Laprida, Joaquín Pittaluga. This lineup was announced in April as Haras San Pedro, and some guides still use that name.

La Natividad La Dolfina arrives as the only 40-goal team of the season, having already won the Hurlingham and Tortugas Opens this year. The Open is the third leg of Argentina's Triple Crown.

Polo in one minute, if this is your first Open

• The game: two teams of four riders hit a ball with long mallets and score by sending it between the other team's posts. Most goals wins; nobody is judged on style.
• Chukker: a period of play. At Palermo a match has eight chukkers of seven minutes. After the bell, play can go on for up to 30 seconds, and if the score is tied at the end, extra chukkers are played until someone scores.
• Handicap: each player is rated from -2 to 10 goals. A team's handicap is the sum, so 40 is a perfect team. The Open is played "open": no team gets goals of advantage.
• Changing ends: teams swap sides after every goal, so don't be surprised when they attack the other way.
• The horses: each player rides several in one match and changes between chukkers, and sometimes in the middle of one. Many are mares.
• Copa Cámara de Diputados: another AAP tournament. This year it is played at the AAP's Alfredo Lalor grounds in Pilar from November 12 to December 7, with free entry, the AAP says. One earlier preview listed its final at Palermo on December 12; the AAP's announcement does not.

New to horse sports? Our disciplines guide and glossary cover the basics.

Venue, tickets and how to get there

The Campo Argentino de Polo is at Avenida del Libertador and Dorrego, in Palermo, Buenos Aires. Fans call it the Cathedral of Polo.

Tickets

Tickets are sold on Ticketek, and at the ground's box office at Av. del Libertador 4168. The Entradas Q! guide of October 24 gave these box office hours: Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and match days from noon to 5:30 p.m.

The same guide listed these single-ticket prices in Argentine pesos, service charge included. It was written before the last date change, so check Ticketek for the current price.

The guide showed cheaper tickets for its first two rounds (from $6,200 in Dorrego) and higher ones for December 5 and 6. Its round numbers follow the old calendar, so they may not match the new one. It also said that if rain suspends a match, your ticket is valid for the rescheduled day and there is no refund.

According to that guide, retirees and pensioners could ask for a free ticket for some zone days, with limited places. The ticket had to be collected at the box office during the week before, with ANSES documentation (Argentina's social security agency), and was not handed out on match day. Ask there which days apply under the new calendar.

Getting there

• Subway: line D to Ministro Carranza, then about ten blocks on foot along Dorrego.
• Train: Mitre line to Ministro Carranza station.
• Bus: lines 10, 15, 29, 36, 55, 59, 60, 64, 118, 160 and 166, among others.
• Car: parking is very limited on big match days. Public transport or a ride app is easier.

What to watch and what to do next

• The champion's start. La Natividad La Dolfina is in Zone A, which opens the tournament on Saturday, November 14, but it is not in either of that day's matches. With five teams in a zone, one team rests on each match day, so its first match should come on the next Zone A day, Tuesday, November 17.
• A record in reach. Adolfo Cambiaso, 51, could win his 20th Argentine Open, which would equal Juan Carlos Harriott's record, POLO+10 notes.
• Newcomers and returns. Híper Polo Club makes its Triple Crown debut this season, the AAP said when it announced the teams, and Las Monjitas is back after seven years, Pololine reported.
• The weather. Rain has already moved this calendar. Look at the forecast and the AAP's channels before you leave home.

If you are going:

1. Buy your ticket ahead and open it in the MiTicketek app on your phone. Ticketek says the ticket must be shown from the app itself; a screenshot of the QR code is not valid.
2. Arrive early: gates open at noon and the first match is listed at 2:00 p.m.
3. Bring sun protection and water. November afternoons in Buenos Aires are warm, and many seats are in the sun.
4. Stay for both matches if your ticket covers the day.

In Buenos Aires in December? The Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini is the other big horse date of the month. And if you want to know the breed of the pampas, read about the Criollo horse.