After an opening phase that lived up to all expectations, the Open de France BARNES enters the knockout stage this weekend, with four quarter-finals to be played on Sunday and Monday. And while Thursday’s eight survivors will now be fighting to stay in the tournament, the players of the Women’s Open de France SkinCeuticals are preparing to take to the field with a particularly strong international line-up. In Chantilly, the World Polo Festival is shifting up a gear.
Octogone lead the way
It took consistency to come through this opening phase unscathed. Ahead of Thursday’s decisive matches, only one team had already completed a perfect run: defending champions Octogone, with three matches and three victories.
Alexis Morange, David “Pelón” Stirling, Louis Hine and Hazel Jackson were therefore the first to secure their place in the quarter-finals, after a campaign highlighted by an extraordinary Octogone–Essso encounter, one of the great matches of this opening week: an epic 12–10 victory after Octogone went into the fifth chukker four goals behind.
Three matches and three victories too for Clinova, one of the surprises of the opening phase, who defeated Akasha in extra time on Thursday. That single defeat will not prevent the former Open de France winners from continuing their campaign in the quarter-finals, where they will be joined by the five other teams with two wins and one defeat: Talandracas, Kazak, Jolly Roger, Essso and Sainte-Mesme.
The match between the latter two also saw Argentina’s Guillermo Caset pull clear at the top of the scoring charts with 26 goals, eleven of them on Thursday alone, as his team recorded an emphatic 14–6 victory over Sainte-Mesme.
QUARTER-FINALS
Sunday, September 13:
Clinova (England) vs Jolly Roger King of Polo (Sweden)
Akasha (France) vs Talandracas (France)
Monday, September 14:
Octogone (Switzerland) vs Sainte-Mesme (France)
Essso (Belgium) vs Kazak (France)
A new competition effectively begins on Sunday. This time, there will be no room for error.
The women take centre stage
As the Open de France BARNES enters its decisive phase, the Women’s Open de France SkinCeuticals will in turn take over the Chantilly grounds, bringing together some of the world’s leading female players and several faces already familiar from the past two weeks.
The tournament will open on Tuesday, 15 September at noon with Augustinus Bader against Swee. On one side, Argentina’s Lia Salvo, 8 goals and one of the leading figures in international women’s polo. On the other, two 7-goal players: France’s Elena Venot and Argentina’s Catalina Lavinia, 20, winner of the latest Argentine Women’s Open with La Dolfina and about to make her Open de France debut.
From mixed to women’s polo: Hazel Jackson and Elena Venot, who was standing in for another player during the Open de France BARNES, will both be competing in the Open de France féminin SkinCeuticals next week. © Justine Jacquemot
Hazel Jackson switches Opens
Then, at 5.00 pm, Hazel Jackson will return to the field, this time in the colours of WhyNot. The British player will barely have had time to recover from her men’s quarter-final: playing at No. 2 for Octogone in the Open BARNES, she has impressed throughout the tournament with her defensive commitment… but also with her attacking play, as shown by her two goals, including a spectacular coast-to-coast solo run against Eternal J.
At 35, the British player, who built her career far from polo’s traditional family dynasties, continues to demonstrate in Chantilly why she has established herself at the highest level of the international game.
→ Read: our interview with Hazel Jackson, “Polo the Hard Way”*
It would be difficult to imagine a more international Women’s Open: the 28 players representing the seven teams come from no fewer than 14 nations. Four of them have already won the Argentine Women’s Open. Alongside Lia Salvo, Catalina Lavinia and Hazel Jackson comes Milly Hine, winner of the 2024 Open de France, who will be looking to reclaim that title this year while her brother Louis could, on the very same day, be defending his own with Octogone!
TEAMS AND SCHEDULE
OPEN DE FRANCE FÉMININ SKINCEUTICALS
The World Polo Festival in full swing
After an opening week that culminated in a Thursday resembling a Boxing Day of polo, the pace will not let up from here. Men’s quarter-finals, the launch of the Women’s Open, then the Open de France BARNES semi-finals on Thursday, 17 September, the same day on which the women’s final four will also be decided: from now on, there will be something happening every day in Chantilly.
Even the weather seems determined to join the party, with sunshine and temperatures ideal for horses and spectators alike forecast for the final stretch leading up to the grand finals on Sunday, 20 September.
Three weeks after it began, the World Polo Festival is now in full swing. And from here on, the simplest way not to miss anything is to come every day.
Not to be missed
Friday, September 11, 5:30 PM – Vendredi du Polo & Petiseros’ Race (l’Orangerie) – registration required here, limited spots.
To celebrate a September that feels like one big polo party in Chantilly, the Vendredi du Polo is back with an 80s twist: a polo match, a petiseros’ race, a sunset cocktail dinner (€25/person), a DJ, dancers, and all the polo atmosphere you love. Dress code: full-on 80s.
Sunday, September 20, from 11:00 AM – Finals Day (Terrain d’Honneur 1 & 2, l’Orangerie)
Three finals in a single day, entertainment, the Rallye d’Aumale, stands, and food trucks: the highlight of three weeks of competition.
11:00 AM – Village and Polo Lounge open
12:00 PM – Open de France Ladies’ Final
3:00 PM – Open de France BARNES Final
5:30 PM – Trophée Castel Final
The club is also opening its doors to anyone wishing to try polo through a taster session. All the information can be found here: www.poloclubchantilly.com/polo-school
MEDIA ROOM
ACCREDITATION FORM
PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
Getting to the Polo Club
Simply search for Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly in your GPS or navigation app. All major navigation systems will guide you directly to the club entrance.
Match Broadcasts
All Open de France BARNES matches will be filmed and available on replay on Pololine TV. From the quarterfinals onward, matches will also be broadcast live.
Results and statistics
Live scores, results and full tournament statistics will be available on the Polo Club’s website and via the ChukkerApp, which also provides coverage of all tournaments played at Chantilly throughout the season.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Polo Club de Chantilly
La Ferme d’Apremont
60300 Apremont
France
www.poloclubchantilly.com
MEDIA CONTACTS
To learn more about polo, feel free to ask us any questions you may have! Or request an interview with a player or an official from the organization.
Pascal Renauldon
+33 6 08 75 94 07
p.renauldon@rbpresse.com
Adèle Renauldon
+33 6 50 05 69 34
adele@rbpresse.com
ABOUT THE POLO CLUB DU DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY:
Founded by Patrick Guerrand Hermès and a group of shareholders in 1995 and managed since then by Philippe Perrier, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly covers an area of 130 hectares. With nine grass pitches and one sand pitch (arena), it is the largest polo club in Europe and has been hosting the renowned French Open since 2001, attracting the world’s best players to this prestigious tournament, one of 60 grass tournaments held each year on the grounds of the Ferme d’Apremont. As the headquarters of the French Polo Federation, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly is open to all: all matches from April to October are free to the general public. poloclubchantilly.com – @polodechantilly
BARNES. When Excellence Becomes Tradition
Some events are more than annual appointments; they become traditions.
For its 26th edition, the Open de France BARNES brings together, in the heart of the Domaine de Chantilly, some of the world’s finest polo players in a sport where precision, commitment and excellence define every performance.
These same values lie at the heart of BARNES. Just as success on the polo field demands experience, anticipation and trust, exceptional real estate requires deep market knowledge, an understanding of heritage and the ability to recognise what makes every property truly unique.
By renewing its partnership with the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, BARNES reaffirms its commitment to an art of living where heritage, elegance and excellence naturally come together. Year after year, Chantilly perfectly embodies the spirit that BARNES proudly shares.
Welcome to the 2026 Open de France BARNES.
SkinCeuticals, Partner of the Ladies French Open
Recognised as the No. 1 skincare brand recommended by aesthetic physicians worldwide*, SkinCeuticals is a global leader in antioxidant protection and advanced corrective skincare.
Built on decades of scientific research, the brand develops high-performance skincare solutions designed to help prevent visible signs of skin ageing while complementing professional aesthetic procedures.
Outdoor sport places athletes in constant contact with sun exposure and environmental aggressors. Through science-backed skincare and advanced antioxidant expertise, SkinCeuticals supports those who pursue performance both on and off the field.
Driven by a shared commitment to excellence, precision and performance, the partnership between SkinCeuticals and the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly was a natural fit.
*Source: Kline & Company, Professional Skincare Global Series 2025, manufacturer sales in the worldwide physician-dispensed skincare market.
U.S. Polo Assn. Official Jersey and Apparel Sponsor of the French Open: BARNES
U.S. Polo Assn., the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), continues its partnership with the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly for a fourth consecutive season in 2026.
With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint, distribution in nearly 190 countries, more than 1,200 retail stores, and thousands of additional points of sale, U.S. Polo Assn. is one of the world’s leading licensed sports brands. The brand offers apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and children while actively supporting the growth of polo in the United States and around the world.
In 2026, U.S. Polo Assn. will once again serve as the Official Jersey and Apparel Sponsor of the Open de France BARNES, taking place from September 4 to 20 at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly. The brand will provide custom performance jerseys for all participating teams as well as apparel for the club’s staff and more.
The Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly is proud to partner with U.S. Polo Assn. as the brand celebrates its recent campaign, The Polo Shirt: An Icon Born from the Game™, highlighting the authentic connection between U.S. Polo Assn.’s most recognizable product and its origins in the sport of polo. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to promoting the sport of polo and strengthening the international profile of one of Europe’s leading polo events.