It was one of those gentle summer evenings we love at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, with friendly conversations on the Orangerie’s terrace… But on the field, this so-called “friendly” game was anything but that. Brazil clearly hadn’t come to joke around on the same field where another Seleção had claimed a World Championship title twenty-one years earlier. Facing them, Jean-Claude Le Grand’s French team was determined to show the strength of its collective against a team boasting a 7-goaler. It was a matter of honour.
Brazil left nothing to chance, riding some top-quality horses from Argentine professionals based in Chantilly, like Tito Guiñazu and Jota Chavanne. Right from the start, the Brazilians took control, leading 2–0 after just three minutes. But the French team quickly responded, led by an inspired Édouard Pan, who brought them level at 2–2, then ahead 4–2. From there, the teams traded goals in a neck-and-neck battle. France had the final word, edging out Brazil in this hard-fought test match: 9–8. A proud result for patron Jean-Claude Le Grand, who, regardless of the competition, is committed to fielding all-French line-ups under the colours of Eternal J. On Friday, Louis Jarrige, Édouard Pan, and Julien Reynes rewarded that loyalty with a prestigious international victory.
“It’s always tough playing South Americans,” commented Jean-Claude Le Grand. “They never give up. João Paulo Ganon constantly reminded us of his 7-goal handicap. Their team played well collectively, although the match wasn’t always very open, since Ganon and Garcia often played as a pair. It may have been called a friendly game, but they were far from friendly! They clearly came to win. A polo match is never really friendly; whatever the stakes, you always want to win.”
It was indeed a battle — but a fair one: only two of the game’s seventeen goals came from penalties. João Paulo Ganon, Brazil’s top scorer, is incidentally the brother of Pedro Henrique Ganon — the player who scored the golden goal that secured Brazil’s World Championship title in Chantilly back in 2004. “It was my first time in Chantilly,” said João Paulo Ganon. “It’s a magnificent club with excellent facilities and top players. France played really well. We came to win — you always want to win, don’t you? France is a strong team. You can see their players are used to playing together, whereas we were playing together for the first time.”
João Paulo Ganon will once again wear the famous auriverde jersey on July 26 for the prestigious Coronation Cup against England — a team Brazil has met three times but never managed to beat.
This win marks a strong performance from France against a technically superior team on paper, led by a 7-goaler. It adds another proud chapter to the history of French polo, which now turns its focus to defending its Arena World Championship title this October in Virginia.
With its high-level facilities and international openness, Chantilly continues to be a vital asset in the development of French polo. See you in September for the highlight of the French season: the Open de France Barnes, where several major names in global polo are expected.
Nice ‘meeting’ between France and Brazil © Justine Jacquemot
Team France :
Jean-Claude Le Grand (0) – captain
Édouard Pan 4 (5 goals)
Louis Jarrige 4 (4 goals including 1 penalty)
Julien Reynes 4
Team Brazil :
Luigi Cosenza (0) – captain
Joao Paulo Gano 7 (4 goals including 1 penalty)
Gustavo Garcia 4 (3 goals)
Jose Cardoso 2 (1 goal)
Score progression for France: 3–2 / 4–3 / 4–5 / 7–6 / 9–8
BPP (Best Playing Pony): Lamore Patada, played by Édouard Pan and bred by Diego Cavanagh
MVP (Most Valuable Player): Gustavo Garcia (Brazil)
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, 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 for 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.
Text Pascal Renauldon
Images Justine Jacquemot