La Dolfina vs. Ellerstina: A Rivalry Renewed — 2026 Argentine Open Preview
The two great Argentine polo dynasties prepare for another chapter in their storied rivalry as the 2026 Triple Crown season approaches, with Cambiaso and Poroto forming the partnership everyone is watching.
As the Argentine polo calendar turns toward the autumn Triple Crown season, the polo world's attention is fixed on Palermo and the renewal of the sport's greatest rivalry. La Dolfina, captained by Adolfo Cambiaso and now featuring his son Poroto in one of the sport's most anticipated father-and-son partnerships, faces Ellerstina — led by the Pieres brothers — in what promises to be another defining chapter in Argentine polo's greatest sporting story.
La Dolfina's team for 2026 represents a carefully constructed blend of experience and prodigious youth. Poroto Cambiaso, now approaching the ratings that once made his father the sport's undisputed greatest player, has been the talking point of the pre-season. At just 20 years old, his debut Argentine Open campaigns have already demonstrated a quality of play that has earned comparisons with the elder Cambiaso's early career, and his partnership with his father creates a dynamic that is unprecedented in the sport's elite history.
Ellerstina arrive at Palermo with a rebuilt team following personnel changes during the off-season. The Pieres brothers — Facundo and Gonzalo Jr. — provide the core around which new team members have been assembled, and early pre-season results suggest the team has recovered the cohesion that made it La Dolfina's most dangerous rival through the 2010s and early 2020s.
Among the other contenders, Adolfo Cambiaso's former partner Facundo Mac Donough has assembled a new team under the La Ensenada banner that many insiders believe capable of disrupting the traditional La Dolfina-Ellerstina final narrative. Mac Donough's tactical intelligence and deep experience of Palermo's pressure make his team one of the Triple Crown's most fascinating storylines.
The Argentine Open begins in November, with the Copa Potrillos opening the Triple Crown campaign in September. All eyes at Palermo will be on the Cambiaso family.