Virginia is the Place to Be! USA and Argentina Rack Up Wins as Games Continue in FIP Arena World Polo Championship

Bracket Play Continues Tuesday and Wednesday at Roseland Polo Club in Crozet, Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Charlottesville and Crozet are the center of international sports competition Oct 5-12 as the Federation of International Polo (FIP) brings the World Arena Polo Championship to Virginia.

With the first matches of bracket played at Virginia Polo Center, play now moves to Roseland Polo Club for Tuesday and Wednesday (October 7-8).

On Sunday, October 5, the opening round of the II FIP Arena World Polo Championship bracket play set the tone for an intense competition ahead. Argentina (Damián Oscar Mondaca, Francisco Crotto, Andrés Lariguet) faced defending champions France (Elouan Badarello, Ilan Bossard, Lucie Venot), whose lineup included the only female player in the competition. In the second match, USA (Kareem Rosser, Jared Sheldon, Patrick Uretz) took on Guatemala (Jose Ignacio Beltranena, Sebastian Aycinena, Jose Miguel Aguilar). Bracket play resumes Tuesday, October 7, with Pakistan and Italy making their tournament debuts.

DAY ONE RESULTS

Bracket One
Argentina defeated France 19-9
Best Playing Pony: 31, played by Andrés Lariguet and owned by George Dill.

"Truly, the tournament is buenisimo. The arenas are spectacular. The level of the teams competing is very good. The teams are well-organized for every country watching everyone in practice we could see how strong they all are," Gonzalo Azumendi, coach of Argentina team.

"The play was very intense. The first chukkers were really tough but we played well and the whole team, the coach, the whole group that came from Argentina made the game work out in our favor," Damian Mondaca, Team Argentina.

Bracket Two
USA defeated Guatemala 20-14
Best Playing Pony: Nevada, played by USA's Jared Sheldon and owned by George Dill.

Under the dazzling lights of the FIP Arena World Polo Championship, Team USA kicked off their campaign with a commanding win in the opening match. Jared Sheldon, one of the squad's standout figures, emerged from the arena with the quiet confidence of a player who knows the work has only just begun.
In the post-match interview, Sheldon offered a composed assessment of the team's performance, highlighting the synergy between players and the strategic execution that defined their victory. His demeanor reflected the discipline and focus that have become hallmarks of the American side.

"I don't know about favorite, we lost last time and when you're a loser, you can't be a favorite. We came here for gold so I'm calling it the redemption tournament. Guatemala is very good. The game was much closer than the score; we had a few good 2-pointers. We have to see what Italy is going to be like" says Sheldon. "Patrick and Kareem are amazing and they give me so much confidence. This is an amazing team to be on."

The win sets a strong tone for the tournament, positioning the United States as a serious contender in the global arena polo circuit. Fans and analysts alike are watching closely as the championship unfolds.

"Arena Polo is moving to new levels with this competition," says United States Polo Association (USPA) Arena Committee Chair Robin Sanchez. "We have a very strong base in the US with arena polo being a growing sport in college and high school competition as well as being played by amateurs and professionals outside of Intercollegiate and Interscholastic competition. Now, the rest of the world is joining us in growing this very accessible aspect of the sport of polo."

U.S Polo Assn. is the official apparel brand for II FIP Arena World Polo Championship. “As the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association and the official apparel sponsor of FIP, we are honored to support the FIP Arena World Championships through our custom performance jerseys and other branded keepsakes for the teams. We are honored to host this global event in the United States where arena polo is one of the fastest growing segments of our sport. We wish all the country teams from around the world the best of luck and welcome them to Roseland Polo Club with the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and wine vineyards as the backdrop,” stated J. Michael Prince, President & CEO of USPA Global who manages the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. sports brand.

Games move to Roseland Polo Club in Crozet for the next two days of bracket play. After bracket play finishes, the top two teams in each bracket will play cross bracket for the semi-finals.

Tuesday, Oct 7 at 1pm EST France vs. Pakistan
Tuesday, Oct 7 at 3:30pm EST Guatemala vs. Italy
Wednesday, Oct 8 at 1pm EST Pakistan vs. Argentina
Wednesday, Oct 8 at 3:30pm EST Italy vs. USA

Entrance to the games if free. If you can't make it in person, the livestream is available on USPA Polo Network YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@USPAPoloNetwork

Watch Argentina vs. France https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6sne_-45eA
Watch USA vs. Guatemala https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADvl8TttbJo&t=318s

TEAMS AND ROSTERS

Bracket One
Pakistan
Ibrahim Khalil
Saqib Khakwani
Jalal Arsalan
Coach – Shaukat Ali Malik

France
Elouan Badarello
Dorian Bulteau
Louis Jarrige
Ilan Bossard
Lucie Venot

Argentina
Damián Oscar Mondaca
Francisco Crotto
Andrés Lariguet
Coach – Gonzalo Azumendi


Bracket Two
USA
Kareem Rosser
Jared Sheldon
Patrick Uretz
Coach – Billy Sheldon

Guatemala
Jose Ignacio Beltranena
Sebastian Aycinena
Jose Miguel Aguilar
Alt/Coach - Antonio Aycinena

Italy
Stefano Giansanti
Giordano Magini
Mariano Raigal
Alejandro Puyana
Coach – Franco Piazza

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Sunday, October 5
Bracket One 1:00pm ET: Game 1 - Argentina def. France at Virginia Polo Inc.
Bracket Two 3:30pm ET: Game 2 - USA def. Guatemala at Virginia Polo Inc.

Tuesday, October 7
Bracket One 1:00pm ET: Game 3 - Pakistan vs. France at Roseland Polo Club
Bracket Two 3:30pm ET: Game 4 - Italy vs. Guatemala at Roseland Polo Club

Wednesday, October 8
Bracket One 1:00pm ET: Game 5 - Pakistan vs. Argentina at Roseland Polo Club
Bracket Two 3:30pm ET: Game 6 - Italy vs. USA at Roseland Polo Club

Friday, October 10
10:00am ET: Consolation Final at Roseland Polo Club
4:30pm ET: Semifinal 1 - First Place Bracket One Team vs. Second Place Bracket Two Team at Virginia Polo Inc.
6:30pm ET: Semifinal 2 - First Place Bracket Two Team vs. Second Place Bracket One Team at Virginia Polo Inc.

Sunday, October 12
12:00pm ET: Bronze Medal Match at Roseland Polo Club
2:00pm ET: II FIP Arena World Polo Championship Final at Roseland Polo Club*

*Denotes a ticketed event but free admission is available on a first come, first serve basis.
In the event of rain, all matches will be moved to the indoor arena at Virginia Polo Inc.
For more information and updates, please visit the 2025 FIP Arena World Polo Championship landing page https://www.uspolo.org/fip-arena-world-championship

About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the largest association of polo clubs and polo players in the United States, founded in 1890 and based at the USPA National Polo Center (NPC) in Wellington, Florida. This year, U.S. Polo Assn. celebrates 135 years of sports inspiration alongside the USPA. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores
as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide.

The brand sponsors major polo events around the world, including the U.S. Open Polo Championship^®, held annually at NPC in The Palm Beaches, the premier polo tournament in the United States. Historic deals with ESPN in the United States, TNT and Eurosport in Europe, and Star Sports in India now broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., making the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time.

U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors in the world alongside the NFL, PGA Tour, and Formula 1, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized internationally with awards for global growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other
noteworthy media sources around the world. For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.

USPA Global is a subsidiary of the United States Polo Association (USPA) and manages the multi-billion-dollar sport brand, U.S. Polo Assn. USPA Global also manages the subsidiary, Global Polo, which is the worldwide leader in polo sport content. To learn more, visit globalpolo.com or Global Polo on YouTube.

About the United States Polo Association^® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association^® is organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo; coordinating the activities of its member clubs and registered player members; arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions and games; and providing rules, handicaps and tournament conditions for those events. Its overarching goals are improving the sport and promoting the safety and welfare of its human and equine participants. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the largest voluntary sports organization in North America for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently made up of more than 200 member clubs and over 5,000 registered player members. It annually awards and oversees roughly 50 national tournaments hosted by its member clubs. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.

About FIP
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) is the international federation representing the sport of polo, officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The FIP was founded in 1982 by representatives of eleven national polo associations, and it represents the national polo associations of more than 80 countries. Its principal aim is to enhance the international image and status of polo. In addition to organizing international tournaments, the FIP develops international tournaments for children, conducts umpiring and coaching seminars, encourages participation in the sport at all levels and ages, and makes the international rules of polo through a cooperative agreement with the Asociación Argentina de Polo, the Hurlingham Polo Association of Great Britain and Ireland, and the United States Polo Association (USPA). For more information, please visit fippolo.com.

About Roseland Polo Club
Located in Crozet, Virginia, Roseland Polo Club is an organization of polo players and polo supporters working to increase the number and quality of polo players, clubs, schools and tournaments in Virginia. Aiming to create a sustainable polo community in the Charlottesville area with continuous growth in the number of participants and level of play, Roseland Polo Club supports all levels of polo for its members through polo schools, clinic and outreach programs. Additionally, Roseland Polo Club actively promotes and organizes tournaments to attract intrastate and inter-circuit play in accordance with the rules of the USPA.

About Virginia Polo Center
Home of the distinguished University of Virginia (UVA) polo club, Virginia Polo’s training facility sits on 75 spacious acres just five miles from the historic University’s main campus. Equipped to support play year-round, top-notch facilities include a 300’ by 150’ indoor arena building, 400’ by 150’ outdoor arena and a regulation outdoor polo field.

Led by current coach and general manager, Lou Lopez, the Virginia Polo program at UVA is widely regarded as a powerhouse in intercollegiate polo. Some of their many illustrious achievements include 12 Men’s National Championships, 11 Women’s National Championships and 18 Polo Training Foundation (PTF) Intercollegiate Player of the Year Awards.

The Virginia Polo Center is host to numerous USPA interscholastic and intercollegiate tournaments, including the 2024 Division I National Intercollegiate Championships. Formed in the early 1950s, the polo club is a student-run organization which strives to instill core values including the merits of responsibility, hard work, dedication, rewards of fellowship, working as a team and the ability to compete in an intercollegiate sport on the national level. Throughout the year, the facility hosts USPA interscholastic and intercollegiate events for players of all ages and skill levels. During the summer months, Virginia Polo Inc. also serves as a premier destination for high school players to participate in renowned clinics.

Robin Sanchez
US Arena Polo
robin@usarenapolo.com
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Coming This October to Virginia - FIP Arena Polo World Championship

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