The celebrations aren’t over yet at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly. Just five days after a particularly successful Polo Nations Cup and almost a year since the “Olympic” match between France and the United States, the Polo Club will stage another prestigious match: France vs Brazil, played at official World Championship level.
This much-anticipated encounter promises to be thrilling: Brazil, the second most successful polo nation after Argentina, boasts eight podium finishes in twelve editions of the medium-goal World Championship, including three titles (1995, 2001, 2004). Facing them, France, who delivered one of its finest performances in 2004 by reaching the semifinals, will be eager to shine once again on home ground. An international test match played at the official World Championship level, between two nations that haven’t faced off in an official competition for twenty years.
Twenty-one years to be precise. That was back in 2004, during the World Championship held in Chantilly, a tournament still remembered for its media impact and popular success: over 21,000 spectators, many from abroad, gathered for the event. France had an exceptional run, defeating the United States to reach the semifinals, before falling to Brazil, then reigning world champions. That day, the Brazilian seleção imposed its rhythm (9-4), and went on to claim the world title once more, defeating England in a dramatic final in front of 7,000 fans, clinched in overtime by a controversial golden goal (according to the English, at least) from Pedro Henrique Gannon. France finished with a respectable fourth place, its best result to date, after losing the bronze medal match against Chile.
Brazil’s return to Chantilly, two decades later, is rich in symbolism. With three world titles and eight medals in twelve editions, the South American powerhouse remains a dominant force in the history of medium-goal polo. The 2025 lineup looks daunting, particularly with the presence of 7-goal player Joao Paulo Gannon. Team France will rely on the chemistry of four players who know each other inside out: the members of Eternal J, a squad that has played together for several seasons. It’s a bold bet on collective cohesion, reminiscent, in spirit, of Paris Saint-Germain!
This gala match offers France the perfect opportunity to test its ambitions, challenge one of the world’s greatest polo nations, and perhaps rekindle the spirit of 2004.
A Sporting and Cultural Exchange
Beyond the sporting stakes, the evening also celebrates friendship and dialogue between cultures. Polo is more than a sport; it is a lifestyle rooted in human connection. This France-Brazil match fits within a broader framework of Franco-Brazilian cultural exchange, currently illustrated by several major artistic highlights across the Paris region: from Ernesto Neto’s monumental woven installations at the Grand Palais to Lucas Arruda’s first-ever solo show in a French museum at the Musée d’Orsay; from the evocative environmental photography of Sebastião Salgado, Frans Krajcberg, and Rodrigo Braga at the Jardin d’Agronomie Tropicale, to the joint exhibition of artists Fabiana Ex-Souza and Felipe Shibuya at the same venue.
To complete the experience, players and guests will also have the chance to explore the collections of the Musée Vivant du Cheval, housed in the Domaine’s magnificent Grandes Écuries.
Twenty years after their last encounter, France and Brazil are meeting again. The same place, the same passion. A new chapter in the history of international polo is about to be written.
The teams
Team France :
Jean-Claude Le Grand (0) – capitaine
Édouard Pan (4)
Louis Jarrige (4)
Julien Reynes (4)
Team Brazil :
Luigi Cosenza (0) – capitaine
Joao Paulo Gannon (7)
Gustavo Garcia (4)
Jose Cardoso (2)
Brazilian polo: a South American leader
Brazilian polo is governed by the Confederação Brasileira de Polo and is affiliated with the FIP. There are four sub-federations for the states of Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. The Confederação Brasileira de Polo is classified as a ‘full member’ of the FIP (category B, for countries with more than 100 players) with 288 members in 2024.
An iconic club
The country has around fifty affiliated clubs, mainly in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul. The most famous of these abroad is the Helvetia Polo Country Club in São Paulo, which organises over 20 tournaments a year, including the Brazilian Triple Crown (Giorgio Moroni Cup, Helvetia Open and São Paulo State Open), as well as competitions ranging from 4 to 24 goals. These tournaments involve around 200 players and 3,000 horses.
International reputation
At medium-goal World Championship level, Brazil is the second most successful nation (behind Argentina), having achieved eight podium finishes in twelve editions, including three titles (in 1995, 2001 and 2004).
Prestigious players and international performances
In 2010, Hugues Morin’s French team, Tres Marias, won the Open de France in Chantilly. The team included two Brazilian brothers, Olavo Novaes (H8 at the time) and João Novaes (H3 at the time and H5 since), as well as Pierre-Henri Ngoumou. In 2007, Morin had already hired Brazilian H7 Ricardo Mansour, albeit with less success.
More recently still, Pedro Zacharías (H7) and Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade (H8 in some countries) won the Copa Cámara de los Diputados in 2020 alongside Poroto Cambiaso.
In 2019, Rodrigo Ribeiro de Andrade replaced the injured Juan Martín Nero with La Dolfina in the final of the Abierto, becoming the first and only Brazilian player to win polo’s ‘holy grail’. This year, Pedro Zacharías, now H8, will attempt to qualify La Aguada for the next edition.
Further proof of Brazil’s excellence is that another team from the country will have the honour of competing this year (26 July) against England in the prestigious Coronation Cup at Windsor Castle in front of King Charles III.
Brazil boasts a solid infrastructure of federations, clubs and tournaments, as well as a strong local breeding programme and a significant international presence. Brazil can undoubtedly be considered the second greatest continental polo power after Argentina, and one of the five greatest nations in the world.
Images Jacques Tofi
Text Pascal Renauldon
