Polo in Brazil: South America's Emerging Polo Nation

Brazil is polo's great surprise story of the 21st century. Argentina may be the sport's spiritual homeland, but Brazil has emerged as the world's third-largest polo nation by player and club count — a position achieved through a remarkable combination of agricultural wealth, proximity to Argentina's professional talent pool, and a Brazilian cultural instinct for embracing sport at the highest level.

The São Paulo Heartland

Brazilian polo is overwhelmingly concentrated in the interior of São Paulo state — specifically the agricultural belt between Campinas, Indaiatuba, Araras, and Pirassununga. This region, approximately 80–150 kilometres west of São Paulo city, is the heart of Brazil's agribusiness economy: sugarcane, soya, orange juice, and beef cattle have generated fortunes that have been reinvested into polo with extraordinary results.

The key venues are:

The São Paulo polo belt is extraordinary in its concentration — multiple world-class clubs within an hour's drive of each other, all operating with Argentine professionals, high-quality ponies, and a patronage culture that funds 20–26 [goal](/glossary/goal) polo.

The Brasil Polo Open

The **Aberto Brasileiro de Polo** (Brasil Polo Open) is the definitive statement of Brazilian polo's ambition. Held at Indaiá Polo Club each October–November, the Open is played at **26-goal** — a level equivalent to the top tier of English polo (the Gold Cup) and the US Open. Top Argentine 10-goal professionals compete alongside Brazilian-owned teams, typically with Argentine professionals filling the professional slots.

The Brasil Open has attracted teams sponsored by some of Brazil's most prominent business families, and the investment involved — importing top Argentine horses and players for a six-week season — is considerable. This is polo at a level that should not be possible in a country with Brazil's relatively short polo history, and it reflects the extraordinary wealth concentrated in Brazil's agricultural sector.

The Argentine Connection

Brazilian polo is inseparable from Argentina. The two countries share:

The Argentinean–Brazilian polo relationship is one of the world's most productive bilateral sporting partnerships, comparable to how the Dominican Republic feeds American baseball or how Jamaica powers British sprinting.

Playing Polo in Brazil

Brazil has approximately 3,000 registered polo players — a figure that has grown 40% since 2010. The Associação Brasileira de Polo (ABP) governs the sport and oversees the national season.

**Cost of polo in Brazil**: Lessons range from R$200–400 (approximately $40–80) per session at most clubs. Polo in Brazil is significantly more affordable than in the UK, USA, or even Argentina for international visitors. The real cost for serious players is horse hire — quality polo ponies in Brazil are expensive relative to local wages.

**Best clubs for beginners**:

**Seasonality**: The Brazilian polo season runs from **September through January** (southern hemisphere spring–summer), with the Aberto in October–November as the season's climax. The São Paulo interior's climate at this time is warm (25–32°C) with occasional heavy rainfall — typical tropical highland conditions.

Brazilian Polo Emerging onto the World Stage

Brazilian players have increasingly competed internationally. **João Paulo Coelho de Sousa** (8-goal) has been Brazil's most internationally accomplished player, competing on European circuits and representing Brazil at FIP level. A new generation of Brazilians trained within the country's improved polo infrastructure is beginning to challenge for higher handicaps.

Brazil competes regularly in FIP World Championships and South American regional competitions. The country's women's polo scene is also growing, with the ABP investing in women's competition infrastructure.

Visiting Brazil for Polo

São Paulo is one of South America's great cities — culturally rich, gastronomically extraordinary, and commercially vibrant. Visiting for polo during the October–November season combines the Aberto with São Paulo's restaurant scene (consistently ranked among the world's best by food critics), the Atlantic Forest beaches a few hours away, and easy onward connections to Rio de Janeiro.

**Campinas Viracopos International Airport** is the closest major airport to the polo heartland (approximately 30km from Indaiatuba). São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) provides the main international hub, with Indaiatuba approximately 90 minutes away by car.

Brazil is a polo nation still in its ascent. The investment, the infrastructure, and the competitive ambition are all in place — what Brazil needs now is time to develop the depth of talent that only generations of grassroots polo can produce.