Sat 24th Jan 2026Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz Semi Finals Flexjet and Standing Rock through to tomorrow’s Final
Today’s action opened with The President’s Cup between Mackage and Investec, and the crowd was in for a treat as play heated up on the frozen lake, with both teams eager to claim victory. Alfredo Bigatti opened the scoring, quickly building on Mackage’s 1½ goal handicap advantage. The remaining four chukkas delivered edge-of-the-seat entertainment as both teams found their snow polo rhythm. In a gripping cat-and-mouse battle, the lead changed hands repeatedly, until Investec struck with an outstanding goal on the final whistle, delighting the packed stands. That decisive moment sealed an 8-7½ victory and The President’s Cup for Investec.
As the sun made its first (and very welcome) appearance, tensions mounted as Flexjet and St. Moritz-Top of the World lined-up for the first Semi Final of the day. Both teams had tasted success in yesterday’s opening matches and were keen to continue on the road to the Final. The first two chukkas saw the scores tied, but St. Moritz pulled away in the third chukka to secure a two goal buffer, 4-2. With all to play for in the fourth chukka, Flexjet turned on their afterburners and managed to tie the match at 4-4 and pushed the Semi Final into overtime. In extra-time, Flexjet secured the winning goal and the 5-4 score not only secured Flexjet their place in tomorrow’s Final but also a voucher for a two night stay at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi at the prize-giving.
With just one spot left in tomorrow’s Final and both teams firmly focused on the prize, there was everything to play for. Persistent attacks from Standing Rock in the first chukka quickly neutralised Azerbaijan-Land of Fire’s 1½ goal handicap advantage and saw them take the lead, 2-1½. As the temperature hotted up under the warm glow of the Swiss sunshine, the intensity turned up another notch in the arena as both teams fought hard to find the goalmouth. Going into the final chukka, the scoreboard read 4½-3 with the low scoreline reflecting the intense defending from both sides. Charlton and Laplacette worked seamlessly, with Gonzalez proving formidable at back and Müller ready to pounce at the front. Five time winner, Charlton scored the winning goal (5-4½), much to the delight of the Standing Rock fans.
Today’s results mean that tomorrow’s 41st Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz Final at 2.30pm will be between Flexjet and Standing Rock for The 41st Snow Polo World Cup Trophy. The Mackage Trophy for the Subsidiary Final will be between Investec and St. Moritz-Top of the World at 12.15pm, whilst Azerbaijan-Land of Fire and Mackage will face each other for fifth and sixth place at 11am for The Casablanca Cup.
The 41st Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz Teams:
Flexjet (15): Team Captain Joaquín Castellvi (0), Pelayo Berazadi (5), David ‘Pelón’ Stirling (8) & Tito Gaudenzi (2)
Standing Rock (16): Team Captain Philipp Müller (0), Max Charlton (6), Raul Laplacette (6) & Nacho Gonzalez (4)
Azerbaijan-Land of Fire (14): Tarlan Gurbanaliyev (0), Team Captain Elchin Jamalli (2), Adrian Laplacette (6) & Manuel Fernández Llorente (6)
Investec (16): Team Captain Carlos Alberto Mansur (4), Marcelo Camargo (2), Guilherme Lins (5) & Jose Meirelles (5)
St. Moritz-Top of the World (16): Aristide Faggionato (2), Team Captain Sebastien Aguettant (0), Robert Strom (5) & Nico Pieres (8)
Mackage (14): Team Captain Joevy Beh (3), Lovy/James Beh (0), Garvy Beh (4) & Alfredo Bigatti (7)
Photograph: Standing Rock has secured their place in tomorrow's Final vs Flexjet. By ©www.imagesofpolo.com
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