When Polo Suspends Time (And Grounds the Planes)
Some events no longer need to reinvent themselves to assert their place. In Gstaad, there is a moment each summer when even the planes fall silent. From 20 to 23 August 2026, the Hublot Polo Gold Cup will once again take possession of the magnificent grass field bordering the airport runway, offering a spectacle that has become truly unique in the world: top-level polo in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
For over two decades, the tournament has established itself as a fixture apart on the international circuit, built on a quiet consistency that has become its signature. The same sporting standards, the same loyal teams, the same elegance in organisation: in Gstaad, polo is played for the long game.
A Quiet Consistency
That commitment begins long before the first chukka. Pierre E. Genecand is one of those rare organisers who, days before the opening bell, still climbs onto a tractor to personally oversee the condition of the ground, a gesture that owes nothing to chance from a man who knows the land in more than the figurative sense.
Then comes the moment when the tractor gives way to the dinner jacket, and the farmer-organiser becomes the host his guests have been waiting for: attentive, elegant, true to himself in both roles.
“For the twenty-first time, I am organising this tournament my way, with a loyal team and a spirit that is entirely our own,” he says. “We do not seek to reinvent our model, but to hold ourselves to a constant standard of excellence, on the field and off it.”
Off the field, that standard is equally evident. From tractor to VIP enclosure, there are only a few steps in Gstaad, and a world apart. The tournament's hospitality is widely regarded across the international circuit as among the most refined to be found: an atmosphere where elegance never tips into ostentation, where lunches linger naturally, and where guests return year after year not only for the polo, but for everything that surrounds it.
VIP lunch tables are available throughout the tournament, while Saturday evening's gala dinner, the unmissable highlight of the week, will once again be brought to life by the Dora Live Band, whose presence has itself become one of the most anticipated traditions on the calendar.
Loyal Captains, Open to All
On the field, the tournament will welcome back its loyal team captains: Markus Gräff, Fabio and Luca Meier, Juan Pepa and Rupert Knauf, each committed to bringing to Gstaad some of the finest Argentine and English professionals on the circuit today. Those who know this tournament already know what to expect.
The Hublot Polo Gold Cup Gstaad holds on to something rare: enthusiasts, aficionados and first-time visitors share the same space in an atmosphere that is at once refined and relaxed. Around the ground, the village, the festivities and the team parade through the streets of Gstaad extend an experience unlike any other.
ks, and a dedicated children's area. Here, the planes stay on the ground. And polo takes flight.