ALULA: The 2025 Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo — the world’s first organised desert polo tournament — returns this month for its second edition, promising world-class sport, entertainment and cultural activities.

Organised by the Royal Commission for AlUla in partnership with the Saudi Polo Federation, the event takes place on Jan. 17-18 at Al-Fursan Equestrian Village.

Friday’s action begins at 1:30 p.m. with three matches. Following a 30-minute period of surface leveling, which includes live entertainment, three more matches will be played in the late afternoon, starting from 3:45 p.m. The day concludes with a networking meet-and-greet session.

Saturday sees the wooden spoon match between the bottom two of the six teams, at 12:30 p.m., and this will be followed by the subsidiary final at 2:15 p.m. and the main final at 4 p.m.

An awards ceremony to crown the champions and issue prizes will then end the event.

This year’s tournament features a lineup of some of polo’s finest players, led by Adolfo Cambiaso, the founder of the famed La Dolfina team and widely regarded as the greatest of all time. Cambiaso will be joined in AlUla by his children Adolfo “Poroto” Cambiaso Jr. and Mia Cambiaso, while Pablo Mac Donough, Nacho Figueras, and Milly Hine complete the accomplished roster of professionals.

The six teams — AlUla, Richard Mille, Bentley, Budget SA, Dadan, and Ikmah — will be supplemented by international patrons, with Sarah Siegel Magness, Ploy Bhinsaeng, Mohammed El-Sewedy, Miguel Morel, Phillip Muller, and Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi all confirmed as participants. A distinguished group of royal patrons will also compete in the event.

The venue opens at noon with visitors having the opportunity to explore Al-Fursan Village while live performances, interactive entertainment, and special cultural experiences are taking place. Children can also enjoy the Kids Zone, which boasts a range of activities and games.