Following the conclusion of the 2025 Argentine spring season — whose most remarkable highlight was La Natividad La Dolfina’s triumph in the Argentine Open, completing the Triple Crown — the 2026 outlook is slowly taking shape, with several lineups already confirmed, many of them new, and with the recently announced handicap changes issued by the Argentine Polo Association (AAP).
The first key point is the continuity of La Natividad La Dolfina. After celebrating in Palermo, the team confirmed they will stay together for at least another year. This means Adolfo Cambiaso will have the chance to equal Juan Carlos Harriott as the all-time top winner of the Argentine Open. It is worth remembering that Adolfito has now reached 19 titles in Palermo, while Juancarlitos holds the record with 20. Cambiaso will chase that milestone alongside his son Poroto and his nephews Barto and Camilo Castagnola, positioning them once again as the clear favourites.
Another team that has confirmed it will remain unchanged is Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufú, runners-up in Tortugas and Palermo, and the first to make its continuation official. They even announced it before the semifinals, indicating that their decision did not depend on the outcome. It is a bet on a project that has yielded promising results on and off the field, and one that will surely receive strong support from the public in 2026 after what they achieved in 2025. Thus, Facundo Pieres, Antonio Heguy, Gonzalo Pieres, and Cruz Heguy will continue together for another year.
UAE Polo Team, which finished third in the rankings, will not continue. Finalists in Hurlingham and with an impressive performance in the Palermo semifinal against eventual champions La Natividad La Dolfina, the team will split up, and the UAE Polo Team name will not appear in next year’s draw. Juan Martín Nero and Lucas Monteverde will join Las Monjitas, where they will play alongside David Stirling and Rufino Bensadon — an intriguing blend of experience, youth, and horsepower aiming to be more than just the third contender. The remaining UAE players will take different paths.
Tomás Panelo will join a team made up of two sets of brothers, one with serious aspirations of reaching at least the semifinals in all three Triple Crown tournaments. This is La Hache, where he will play alongside his brother Benjamín and the siblings Hilario and Carlos María Toly Ulloa. It will also mark the return of the Panelo brothers to Hilario Ulloa’s club, where they left an excellent impression in 2024.
Another UAE member in 2025, Pablo Polito Pieres, has chosen a move that may be risky but also promising: he will join La Irenita 2026 project with his cousin Pablo Mac Donough, Matías Mac Donough (Jr.), and Paco de Narváez. Why risky? Because due to the points of the latter two, it seems likely that this team will need to go through the Qualification tournament if they wish to enter the Palermo main draw next year.
Several teams yet to define their official names are nonetheless already qualified for the 2026 Triple Crown based on their lineups. Among them is the team announced by Bautista Bayugar, Joaquín Pittaluga, and Iñaki Laprida — who played for La Hache Cría & Polo in 2025. Joining them will be Alfredo Bigatti of Los Machitos. Two players who have been teammates since 2023 — Victorino Ruiz and Teodoro Lacau — both from Los Machitos in 2025, will join forces again in 2026 with Francisco Elizalde and Gonzalo Ferrari, one of the standout revelations of the 2025 season.
Another confirmed lineup is La Ensenada, featuring Jerónimo Del Carril and Juan Britos, joined by Juan Martín Zubía from Sol de Agosto and Diego Cavanagh, who played for Los Machitos in 2025. Also expected to compete — and expected to enter through Qualification — is La Zeta Kazak. Nicolás Pieres’ project with Lorenzo Chavanne and Beltrán Laulhé will add Guillermo Sapo Caset.
It should be noted, however, that the Argentine Polo Association’s Board of Directors is currently holding meetings that could significantly impact the 2026 season. Changes are expected in the format of the Triple Crown and the Qualification tournament. Although nothing is confirmed yet, several proposals are being considered, and they could alter many of the scenarios described in this article — for example, allowing some teams currently bound for Qualification direct access to Palermo, or pushing others to prepare for 2027 instead. The Ranking system and the method for collecting points are also under review. It is a year-end period filled with certainties, but also with enormous anticipation for what lies ahead in 2026.
This Tuesday, on the other hand, the Argentine Polo Association announced the handicap changes, the most notable being Antonio Heguy’s rise from 8 to 9 goals following a season in which the son of Pepe Heguy proved he can perform in big games and thrive as part of a top-tier team. Other increases from 7 to 8 goals include Lorenzo Chavanne, Lucas Criado (Jr.), Paco de Narváez, Beltrán Laulhé, and Felipe Vercellino; and from 6 to 7 goals: Kristos Magrini, Louis Hine, José Riglos, and Ignacio Viana. The most significant decreases were those of Juan Martín Nero, from 10 to 9 goals, and Jerónimo del Carril and Ignatius du Plessis, from 9 to 8. Finally, after winning the Argentine Women’s Open, Mía Cambiaso — Adolfo Cambiaso’s eldest daughter — was raised from 9 to 10 goals in the women’s handicap.
