Cycle Polo: Where Cycling Meets Team Sport
Cycle Polo is one of the few team sports within cycling. Two teams of five players compete on bicycles, using mallets to score more goals than their opponents while remaining mounted throughout the game.
Speed, coordination, precision and teamwork define the sport. Players must master bike handling while contributing to every phase of play, in a discipline where technical ability is just as important as tactical awareness.
A Discipline Rooted in the Heritage of Polo
Cycle Polo originated in Ireland in the 1890s, when polo enthusiasts sought to recreate the excitement of their sport without using horses. The discipline quickly evolved, developing its own rules, equipment and dedicated competitions.
Recognised by the UCI since 2001, Cycle Polo now brings together a passionate international community and is included among the emerging disciplines featured at the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc.
For both players and spectators, cycle polo delivers a fast-paced and spectacular show. Competitions take place in a lively and friendly atmosphere.
Competition Format
Matches are played on a grass field with dimensions similar to those of a football or rugby pitch. Two teams compete over 15- to 30-minute periods of play. If the score is tied at the end of regulation time, extra time followed by a penalty shootout may be used to determine the winner. The goals measure 4 m × 2.75 m, and the ball has a circumference of approximately 32 cm.
Players use streamlined bicycles based on a traditional bicycle design, along with mallets to control and strike the ball. The left hand must remain on the handlebar while the mallet is held in the right hand; taking the left hand off the handlebar results in a foul. Teams are allowed unlimited substitutions, with three substitute players, ensuring a consistently high-intensity game. As in many other team sports, fouls may be punished with a yellow card or a red card.
A Competition Venue Still Under Wraps
The venue that will host the Cycle Polo competitions of the 2027 UCI Cycling World Championships Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc will be revealed soon.
Like every discipline featured at the Championships, Cycle Polo will showcase the diversity of cycling disciplines brought together for this unique global event.
