GTCO and the NPA Lagos International Polo Tournament

A horse’s hooves can still hush Ikoyi traffic. During polo season, Lagos slows for ritual: white trousers, mallets raised, an old field asserting relevance in a restless city that rarely pauses for history.

From January 27 to February 15, 2026, the Lagos Polo Club hosts the NPA Lagos International Polo Tournament. Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) returns as the main sponsor. And while the stakes remain high, Lagos, briefly, becomes a sporting capital.

Founded in 1904, the Lagos Polo Club predates the modern city around it. The tournament is its annual proving ground. More than a fixture, it is one of Africa’s longest-running sporting events, carrying an institutional memory most Nigerian platforms lack.

Competition centres on prized trophies: the Majekodunmi Cup, Independence Cup, Open Cup, Silver Cup, and Low Cup. The Majekodunmi Cup, in particular, holds mystique. It is Africa’s highest-handicap polo prize, drawing elite players who measure seasons around it. That pull is global. Teams arrive with horses from Argentina, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The logistics are formidable; the ambition, unmistakable. Lagos positions itself, again, as a node on the international polo circuit.

Beyond sport, the tournament functions as a social commons. Diplomats, executives, and cultural figures converge. Deals are not announced, but connections thicken. Hotels fill; restaurants extend hours. The economic aftertaste lingers well beyond the final chukker.

GTCO’s sponsorship fits a longer arc. The Group has made a habit of backing platforms that blend heritage with experience. Its presence is more custodial than anything, especially promotional, meaning that legacy still holds currency in modern brand calculus.

According to Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer, it is all about partnership around discipline, teamwork, and excellence. Even though the language is orthodox, the commitment is sustained.

From all reports, the tournament will be livestreamed, widening its audience without diluting its atmosphere. What that means is that tradition adapts quietly. Thus, in Ikoyi, while an old field continues hosting spectacle and attracting capital, it is all a demonstration of how a fast city can continue to command attention, thanks to GTCO.