Snow and arena polo events.

Arena teams field three players, as the line-ups below show, and the best-known snow polo is played on a frozen lake. How each format is played, and how it differs from grass polo, is explained in arena, snow and beach polo. This page covers the events.

Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz

The Snow Polo World Cup is played on the frozen Lake St. Moritz in Switzerland. GC Polo credits Reto Gaudenzi with creating it as the first snow polo tournament. It runs every year in late January: the 41st edition was played from 23 to 25 January 2026, and the 42nd is scheduled for 22 to 24 January 2027.

Weather shapes the event. GC Polo reports that the 2025 tournament opened under more than a foot of new snow and that a snow plough was used to firm up the surface. In 2026, side trophies went to Azerbaijan Land of Fire (the Casablanca Cup, 5-4 over Mackage) and the all-Brazilian Investec team (the Mackage Trophy, 5 to 4.5 over St. Moritz Top of the World).

Arena polo in the United States

U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship

California Polo Club describes the U.S. Open Arena as the highest level of arena polo in the US. The 2025 edition was hosted by California Polo Club at the Equidome at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, with six teams rated 13 to 16 goals, and the final in December 2025.

FIP Arena World Polo Championship

The FIP reports that the USA beat Argentina 16-14 in Virginia in 2025 to win the second FIP Arena World Polo Championship, the USA's first arena world title.

Arena polo in the UK and Europe

The Bryan Morrison Trophy, Hickstead

The Arena International for the Bryan Morrison Trophy is played at the All England Polo Club at Hickstead. The 2026 edition, on 17 January, was the 16th, and the HPA says the next is scheduled for 2027.

Before the 2026 international, Great Britain beat the USA 12-11 in a Schools and Universities Polo Association (SUPA) intercollegiate match (see college and youth).

Other arena events

• Arena Gold Cup, Windsor. An event listing gave its 2026 finals day as Saturday 28 February 2026. We did not find the winner.
• FIP Arena European Championship, Rome. Listed by the FIP for 26 to 30 May 2026. The HPA sent an England arena team of Ricky Cooper, Grant Collett and Matias Amaya.

Reading arena and snow scores

Two things make these scores look unusual. First, half goals: under the HPA's 2026 rules, the handicap difference is scaled to the number of chukkas played, and any fraction counts as half a goal. The 2025 St. Moritz final ended 5 to 4.5, but St. Moritz is played under FIP and Snow Polo Association rules, according to its 2024 rules leaflet, and we did not check how those rules count half goals. Second, arena scoring: the Virginia Polo primer, describing US college arena polo, says a goal hit from outside the 25-yard line counts two. Arena rules vary by governing body, so check the rules for the event you are watching. More on reading a scoreboard is in watching polo.