FIP Announces Expanded Women's World Championship Format for 2027
The Federación Internacional de Polo has announced an expansion of the Women's World Polo Championship for 2027, increasing the field from 8 to 12 nations and introducing new regional qualifying pathways.
The Federación Internacional de Polo (FIP) has confirmed a significant expansion of the Women's World Polo Championship for its 2027 edition, increasing the participating nations from eight to twelve and introducing a reformed qualifying structure that creates new pathways for emerging polo nations to compete on the world stage.
The announcement, made at the FIP's annual general meeting, was welcomed by national associations across the polo world as a recognition of the sport's growing women's competitive base. The expansion adds four additional national spots to the championship — two from the Americas, one from Europe, and one from the Asia-Pacific region — reflecting the geographic spread of women's polo's growth.
New Qualifying Structure
The reformed qualifying process introduces continental championships as the primary pathway to the World Championship, with the top finishers from the Americas, European, and Asia-Pacific regional events earning automatic qualification. This creates meaningful competitive milestones below the World Championship level and incentivises national associations to invest in women's polo development programmes.
Impact on the Women's Game
The expansion is expected to have significant consequences for the women's game globally. Nations including Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, and South Africa — all of which have strong and growing women's polo communities — now have realistic paths to World Championship qualification. The prospect of competing at a World Championship level event is expected to drive investment in junior women's polo across multiple markets.