The World Polo League 2026 season officially got underway on Sunday, Feb. 8 with a tightly contested Sterling Cup Final, as DUS (Marc Ganzi, Barto Castagnola, Matias Gonzalez and Paquito De Narvaez) defeated the Boca Raton (Fred Mannix, Nic Roldan, Alejandro Novillo Astrada and Artemio Figueras) to claim the first trophy of the season.
DUS came out organized and composed, setting the tone early and maintaining control through disciplined team play and timely scoring. The Boca Raton answered with strong offensive pushes of their own, keeping the match competitive throughout, but DUS consistently found answers when it mattered most. With steady contributions across the lineup, DUS built momentum through the middle chukkers and held the advantage late in the match to secure the win. The final horn sealed a 13-7 victory for DUS, crowning them Sterling Cup champions and launching the eighth season of 26-goal polo in emphatic fashion.
Individual honors highlighted standout performances throughout the match. De Narvaez was named Most Valuable Player, while Antu Walung Experta, a 7-year-old chestnut mare owned and ridden by De Narvaez, earned the Grand Champions Best Playing Pony award. The American Polo Horse Association Best Playing Pony award went to Machitos Melody, a dark bay mare ridden by Marc Ganzi and owned by Santa Rita Polo Farm.
Fresh off their Sterling Cup victory, DUS shifts its focus to the USPA Gauntlet of Polo, with C.V. Whitney Cup play now underway.
