Set at 1,100 metres above sea level, the tournament is played on the unusual setting of the Gstaad Airport, right alongside the landing strip — unquestionably one of the most unusual venues on the international circuit.
And no need to worry: air traffic is suspended during the matches!
For nearly three decades, this unique tournament has blended high-level competition with a refined art of living, all in a spectacular natural setting like no other.
Once again, four international teams will compete for the trophy — and, of course, for the coveted Hublot watches awarded to the winners — in a compact format: qualifying matches on Thursday, semi-finals on Saturday, and the grand final on Sunday.
It is arguably the highest-level grass polo tournament in Switzerland. The traditional team parade through the streets of Gstaad, a much-loved highlight, will take place on Friday.
These teams will be led by four distinguished patrons, including Argentine Juan Pepa, returning to Gstaad after first competing here in 2016. Despite what his nationality might suggest, he is not a professional player, but rather a team patron with a solid 2-goal handicap. In 2017, he achieved an impressive treble, winning the Silver and Gold Cups in Deauville, as well as the French Open in Chantilly. With his iconic team Cibao La Pampa, the London-based businessman also reached the quarter-finals of the prestigious Queen’s Cup in England last year. This summer, he has set his sights on Gstaad once again!
The Swiss brothers Fabio and Luca Meier, runners-up last year, and German Dr Jürgen Schröder, a finalist in 2022, also return with unfinished business.
Rounding out the lineup is Markus Graff, a Swiss entrepreneur active in the financial world and a regular figure in European summer tournaments. His team, Graff Capital, famously won the Ambassador’s Cup in Saint-Tropez in 2022.
Each of these four team patrons will wear the colours of one of the tournament’s prestigious sponsors:
