Sat 17th Jan 2026Team Defender Lift AlUla Desert Polo Trophy Narrow 9-8 win against Team AlUla
On Saturday 17 January, The 2026 AlUla Desert Polo concluded at the Mohammed Yousuf Naghi Equestrian Village with three thrilling matches for Finals Day. Set against the iconic and unique background, the tournament once again provided an unforgettable spectacle in the heart of AlUla’s extraordinary terrain.
Following yesterday’s round robin matches, all six teams returned to the desert arena with silverware at stake for each match. The day began with Team Dadan beating Team VISA 9-6 in The Wooden Spoon Final; followed by the Subsidiary Cup Final where Team Budget beat Team BSF 7 goals to 5 in an exciting match.
The highlight of the day was The AlUla Desert Polo Final between Team AlUla and Team Defender. Team Defender’s line-up included defending champion Pablo Mac Donough, who has played in AlUla for the past five years, while Team AlUla’s line-up included powerhouse Pelón Stirling. The Final went right down to the wire, keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats with Team Defender pipping their opponents to the post with a 9-8 win.
A full Report will be included in the February issue of Polo Times, click here to subscribe today! 2026 Alula Desert Polo Teams:
AlUla: David Stirling, Naveen Jindal & HRH Prince Salman bin Mansour Al Saud
Defender: Pablo MacDonough, Jenny Luttrell & HSH Prince Eugen zu Oettingen
Budget: Jejo Taranco, Venkatesh Jindal & Dr Hosam Zowawi
BSF: Lia Salvo, Alejandro Poma & Faisal Abunayyan
Visa: Cata Lavinia, David Paradice & Ibrahim AlHarbi
Dadan: Nacho Figueras, Babar Naseem & Faisal AlSudairy
Photograph: Team Defender, winners of The 2026 Alula Desert Polo. By Royal Commission for AlUla
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