Polo Team USA Wins 2024 International Polo Tour World Cup Invitational

Polo Team USA™ officially won the World Cup Invitational at SunSet Polo™ at La Palma Polo Club in South America in June 2024.

The team won by one goal against Team Ecuador clinching a final score of 8-7. In the polo world this tournament victory is as big as the Superbowl or the Olympics.

Polo Team USA teammates include Marcos Mateo Bignoli, Nizar Zakka, Audrey Wilde, and team captain Tareq Salahi. The team, sponsored by Hotels at Sea Luxury Cruises, is one of the few international pro polo teams to be inclusive, with a female player part of its team.

The Invitational took place in South America played at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The US players performed admirably considering they’re unaccustomed to an elevation challenging players’ lungs. The International Polo Tour team is presented by Hotels at Sea Luxury Cruises, & Oui Productions. Sponsors joining the festivities included Bugatti, VISA, Samsung, Monster Energy Drinks, Aperol Spritz, Stella Artois, Mine by Paola Trophy’s & Resorts at Sea.

Polo Team USA will move on to defend its title in the 2025 finals. The next World Cup Invitationals, Sunset Polo event, will take place on September 7, 2024 at the Twilight Stadium in Middleburg, Virginia.

“What a nail-biting final,” added the number one-positioned player, Tareq Salahi, owner of the Hotels at Sea Luxury Cruises Polo Team and the Polo Team USA Captain. “The game really went down to the wire. We won thanks to a penalty shot. Hats off to Team Ecuador, they were one of the toughest teams we have ever played.”

Salahi added, “As the Olympics are about to commence in Paris, an event that coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of France, we can also reflect on the fact that polo was the Olympics’ greatest spectator sport before the war. The game is seeing a resurgence in popularity especially with women, and we are excited for the future.”

Audrey Wilde, the lone female polo player on the team, who plays the #4 position stated, “This was an extraordinary event put on by extraordinary people and I’m honored that I was invited to represent polo Team USA.”