USA meets its last overseas challenger Saturday as the 150th Diamond Jubilee Season enters its final two weekends
NEWPORT, R.I. — Sept. 18, 2026 — There are just two Saturdays left in Newport Polo’s historic 150th anniversary season—and only one more chance to see Team USA face an international opponent.
This Saturday, Sept. 19 at 4PM, Team Switzerland returns to Newport for the first time since 2021 to challenge Team USA in the eighth and final international contest of the Newport International Polo Series, in Partnership with Aston Martin Boston, Presented by Turkish Airlines. The six-chukker showdown on BD Field at Glen Farm in Newport County brings the international chapter of the Diamond Jubilee Season to a close before the Turkish Airlines Finals on Sept. 26.
And September appears ready to cooperate. The latest regional National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the upper 60s and light breeze Saturday—crisp conditions tailor-made for polo and the afternoon’s Alpine Picnic festivities.
Swiss precision. American horsepower. One last international showdown.
THE SWISS ARE BACK
Five years after their Newport appearance, Switzerland returns with a four-man roster combining championship credentials, international experience and emerging talent.
The lineup includes Cedric Schweri, a two-time Gstaad winner and two-time Italian champion; former Swiss national skeleton athlete Philipp Müller; three-time Swiss champion and veteran international player Thomas Wolfensberger; and Janik Noah Oertli, winner of the 2025 Swiss Medium Goal Championship-a delegation whose experience stretches across international zones with a winning record across Europe on its path to Newport, with Oertli making his first visit to the United States.
Switzerland has developed a reputation for disciplined, tactical polo—composure, intelligent spacing and patience rather than unnecessary spectacle. Saturday will put that style against the pace and home-field familiarity of Team USA in what Newport Polo has described as “a match of chess at full gallop.”
With no further international matches on the 2026 calendar, there will be no rematch this season.
ALPINE PICNIC MEETS SECOND SUMMER
The Swiss challenge will spill well beyond the boards.
Saturday’s Alpine Picnic theme invites spectators to turn Glen Farm into something resembling Gstaad at sea level: wildflowers, artisan cheeses, charcuterie, crusty breads and pastries paired with cozy knits, checks, suede, fall tailoring and the sort of picnic that suggests someone packed the Champagne before remembering the sandwiches.
The theme is the penultimate edition of the season-long Stella Artois Best in Show, with spectators competing through dress, décor and fieldside presentation.
The forecast: mostly sunny, with a strong chance of Alpine chic.
HORSES ON THE FIELD—AND IN THE SKY
For once, spectators may need to look up to see all the horsepower.
Newport Kites will bring a collection of colorful show kites to Glen Farm, including a giant horse selected especially for the occasion. Weather and wind permitting, the aerial display will unfold above the grounds before attention shifts to the real horses thundering across BD Field. Newport Kites is also behind the Newport Kite Festival, which marked its 40th anniversary this year.
On the ground, Surfside will offer cocktail sampling, while the bar menu takes an Alpine detour of its own. The Alpine Surfer combines Surfside Lemonade, Mount Gay Rum, Cointreau, cranberry, pineapple, Prosecco and an absinthe rinse; the Swiss Old Fashioned gives Newport Polo’s house classic its own subtle absinthe finish.
One bubbly. One brooding. Neutrality apparently does not extend to cocktails.
FROM NEWPORT HARBOR TO NEWPORT POLO
Before the rivalry begins, Newport is giving the visitors a decidedly diplomatic reception.
Official Lodging Partner Forty 1° North serves as Team Switzerland’s waterfront headquarters for the weekend. The delegation’s Newport stay also includes a Friday harbor welcome, where Veuve Clicquot, Caviar Society and Newport Experience will help greet the team with Champagne, caviar and sunset hospitality amid the spectacle of Newport International Boat Show weekend.
Consider it sunset diplomacy before Saturday’s hostilities.
Then the pleasantries end.
At 4PM Saturday, the ball is thrown in.
TWO SATURDAYS. ONE INTERNATIONAL MATCH LEFT.
Saturday is more than another date on the schedule. It is the last international contest of a season created around Newport Polo’s 150th anniversary, and the penultimate Saturday of the 35th Newport International Polo Series. Newport Polo’s published calendar confirms that after Switzerland, only the Turkish Airlines Finals on Sept. 26 remain.
The September schedule begins earlier: gates open at Noon, vendors and exhibitions at 1PM, the match begins at 4PM, and the Veuve Clicquot Trophy Presentation follows at approximately 6PM.
USA VS. SWITZERLAND
Saturday, Sept. 19 | 4PM
Newport International Polo Series, in Partnership with Aston Martin Boston | Presented by Turkish AirlinesNewport Polo Grounds | 250 Linden Lane, Portsmouth, R.I.
Gates Open: Noon
Following the final horn, both teams will come together for the traditional Veuve Clicquot Trophy Presentation, followed by player autographs and Après Polo.
There will be one more Saturday after this one. There will not be another international challenger.
Pack the Alpine picnic. Watch the skies. Claim your place along the boards. Switzerland is back—and the Diamond Jubilee is running out of Saturdays.
Photo credit: Stephen Almeida