The Cartier Queen’s Cup is one of the two premier 22-goal polo tournaments in Great Britain, alongside the King Power Gold Cup. Played at Guards Polo Club in Windsor, Berkshire, the 2026 edition marks the 14th year of Cartier sponsorship. The tournament runs from May 19 through June 14, with opening matches leading through a knockout bracket to the final.
Guards Polo Club sits in the shadow of Windsor Castle, lending the Queen’s Cup an atmosphere that few sporting events can match. The club operates 10 grass fields and holds up to 30,000 spectators on final day. The knockout format means every match carries elimination stakes from the outset, producing an intensity that the league-plus-knockout format of some other tournaments builds toward more gradually. Six-chukker matches at the 22-goal level are fast, technical, and demanding on both players and horses.
The timezone is Europe/London. During the tournament window (late May through mid-June), British Summer Time applies at UTC+1. The final on June 14 at 15:00 BST is 14:00 UTC, 10:00 in New York, 11:00 in Buenos Aires, and 23:00 in Tokyo. Check whatisthetime.now/windsor for current local time in the United Kingdom.
The Queen’s Cup regularly attracts top Argentine professionals who travel to England for the British summer season. Pablo Mac Donough, a two-time Queen’s Cup winner, and Facundo Pieres, also a former champion, are among the players who have left their mark on this tournament. The British season runs from May through July, with the Queen’s Cup serving as the first major title before the King Power Gold Cup at Cowdray Park follows in late June.
The Cartier Queen’s Cup final is one of the highlights of the English sporting and social calendar. Windsor Great Park provides a setting that connects modern high-goal polo to the sport’s long history in Britain.