The Hurlingham Open fires the starting gun on the Argentine Triple Crown, the most important three-tournament series in world polo. Everything that happens here, at the Hurlingham Club in the Buenos Aires suburbs from September 23 through October 4, shapes the rest of the season. Win at Hurlingham and you carry momentum through the Tortugas Open and into the Argentine Open at Palermo. Lose badly and the next three months become an uphill fight.
At the 40-goal handicap with 8-chukker matches, the Hurlingham Open operates at the highest level of competition in the sport, a standard that exists only in Argentina. The 8-chukker format, unique to the Argentine Triple Crown, is a brutal test. Each team needs a string of at least 12 horses per match. The extended playing time, two extra chukkers beyond the 6-chukker international standard, rewards teams with superior horsepower, deeper talent, and tactical patience. Players who can control the pace through 8 chukkers of 40-goal polo are the best in the world at what they do.
The 2026 field is stacked. La Natividad La Dolfina enters at a perfect 40 goals: Adolfo Cambiaso and Poroto Cambiaso paired with Camilo Castagnola and Barto Castagnola. The Cambiaso father-son pair alongside the Castagnola brothers creates a team that combines generational talent with family chemistry. Ellerstina Indios Chapaleufu (36 goals), with the Pieres brothers Facundo and Gonzalito, brings a rivalry that has produced some of the most intense matches in Triple Crown history. Las Monjitas (35 goals) features Juan Martin Nero, holder of the all-time Argentine Open record with 12 titles, alongside David Stirling.
Pablo Mac Donough, a 9-time Hurlingham Open champion, leads La Irenita (34 goals) with Polito Pieres. Mac Donough’s record at this tournament is staggering. Nine titles in a field where every team includes multiple 10-goalers speaks to a consistency that few athletes in any sport can match. Hilario Ulloa captains La Hache (34 goals) alongside his brother Carlos Maria, adding another family dynamic to a season built around dynasties.
Buenos Aires runs at UTC-3 year-round with no daylight saving. The final on October 4 at 16:00 translates to 19:00 in London, 20:00 in Central Europe, and 15:00 in New York. For European and American fans, the Hurlingham Open delivers comfortable viewing times. For those in Tokyo, the 04:00 start the following morning is demanding. For Australian viewers in Sydney, the 06:00 AEDT start is an early Sunday morning that committed fans will set alarms for. Check whatisthetime.now/buenos-aires for current local time in Argentina.
The Hurlingham Club carries one of the sport’s most historically significant names. Founded by British settlers in the late 19th century, the club was named after the Hurlingham Club in London, which codified the rules of polo in 1874. That connection, between the British origins of the sport and its Argentine evolution into the highest level of competition on earth, plays out every September and October on these fields. The Triple Crown starts here, and the story it tells carries all the way through to the Palermo final in December.