The XIII FIP World Polo Championship is the supreme international competition in polo, pitting national teams against each other for the world title. The 2026 edition is scheduled for December 2026 at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Exact dates are pending the completion of zone qualifiers, but the tournament is confirmed for December.
Unlike the club-based tournaments that dominate the polo calendar, the FIP World Championship features national teams. Argentina, the dominant force in world polo, typically sends a squad built around its highest-rated players. The format uses 6-chukker matches with variable handicaps that reflect the actual ratings of each national roster. This creates the only tournament where Argentine 10-goalers like Adolfo Cambiaso, Camilo Castagnola, and Facundo Pieres might compete under their national flag rather than for club organizations.
Dubai operates in the Asia/Dubai timezone at UTC+4 year-round, with no daylight saving adjustments. December in Dubai brings pleasant temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s Celsius, ideal for polo. Time conversions from Dubai are straightforward: a 15:00 throw-in is 11:00 in London, 12:00 in Central Europe, 07:00 in Buenos Aires, and 06:00 in New York. Check whatisthetime.now/dubai for current local time.
The FIP World Championship completes the 2026 global polo calendar. Coming after the Argentine Open in early December and the Dubai Gold Cup that opened the year in January-February, the World Championship closes the season with the sport’s only true international competition. The choice of Dubai as host city for both the Gold Cup and the World Championship in the same calendar year underscores the UAE’s growing role as a centre for international polo.
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) has held the World Championship since 1987. Argentina has dominated the competition’s history, but countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Chile have all fielded competitive teams. The 2026 edition at Al Habtoor, with its 4 grass fields and 5,000 capacity, promises a fitting stage for the sport’s premier national team event.