BN Polo clinched the 5th President of Pakistan Polo Cup 2026 in dramatic fashion, edging FG Polo 4-3 in a penalty shootout after heavy rain halted play at Lahore’s Jinnah Polo Fields. The rain-interrupted final drew a large crowd as fans and families watched a tightly contested match between two evenly matched sides, each with a combined handicap of 14 goals.
FG Polo began strongly in the opening chukker, with Mekayial Sami converting a 30-yard penalty and Raul Laplacette adding another penalty shortly after. Marcos Rivarola extended FG Polo’s advantage with a field goal before BN Polo responded late in the chukker through Argentine professional Tito Ruiz Guinazu, who struck a field goal to keep BN Polo in the contest.
The second chukker saw FG Polo extend their lead when Raul Laplacette scored another 30-yard penalty, but BN Polo mounted a spirited comeback as Lao Abelenda produced two quick field goals to bring the score to 4-3. With the scoreboard level at a tense interval, persistent rain made the ground unplayable and officials were forced to suspend play and move to a penalty shootout to decide the President Polo Cup champion.
BN Polo kept their composure in the shootout as Babar Naseem and Tito Ruiz converted all four penalty attempts for their side. FG Polo faltered when Amin Rehman missed a crucial attempt, allowing BN Polo to secure a narrow 4-3 shootout victory and lift the coveted President Polo Cup trophy.
The final was attended by Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, who later presented prizes along with Mian Abbas Mukhtar and Kingdom Valley Managing Director Ghulam Murtaza. Sponsors Sarsabz and Kingdom Valley were acknowledged for their support of the National Open championship, which showcased strong local and international talent.
A number of individual honours were announced after the match. Babar Naseem was named most valuable player among local players while Argentine professional Tito Ruiz Guinazu received the foreign players MVP award. Babar Naseem’s mare Dolfina Sigo won the best polo pony prize. In other categories, Saqib Khakwani took the medium goal best player award and Amin Rehman was named most improved in that bracket; Hamza Mawaz Khan and Abbas Mukhtar were recognised as best player and most improved respectively in the low goal category. Additional awards included Umar Ashfaq, Ibrahim Khalil, Raja Mekayial Sami and emerging talent Dayan Butt, with the spirit of polo honour going to Sufi Muhammad Amir and the MVP lady award presented to Rabeel Hussain.
