Aachen awaits a world-class Jumping showdown

Jumping history has been made time and again in Aachen’s (GER) hallowed Main Stadium, and in the coming days another chapter will be written. For the sixth time, the world’s best will gather at the Soers to decide whose names will be added to the list of legends who came before.

A truly global line-up is ready to battle it out in Aachen; 146 athletes representing 51 nations will contest the Jumping competition at the FEI World Championships 2026. With 31 teams and 25 individual contenders chasing the titles, the competition for team and individual gold is set to be fierce.

Beyond the pursuit of World Championship honours, Aachen will offer nations their first opportunity to secure a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. With seven qualification berths available to the highest-ranked eligible teams, with the United States excluded as the Olympic host nation, there will be more than medals on offer as the race for those golden tickets to LA begins.

Defending Champions

Three crowns already sit on Sweden's national emblem, and in Aachen this August the Tre Kronor arrive determined to add two more World Championship titles. Defending both team and individual titles after a golden sweep at Herning (DEN) in 2022, individual champion Henrik von Eckermann and Peder Fredricson (Alcapone of Carmille) return from that winning quartet, joined by Petronella Andersson (Odina van Klapscheut), Wilma McMahon (Cicci BJN) and Thomas Ryan (Jezebeau BC). 

Four years after claiming individual gold with the exceptional King Edward, von Eckermann begins his title defence with a new partner, the 12-year-old stallion Minute Man, as Sweden seek to rule the Jumping world once again.

However, glory will not be easily won, with Great Britain among the many nations determined to deny them. Paris (FRA) 2024 Olympic team champions Scott Brash (Hello Mango), Harry Charles (LT Holst Freda) and Ben Maher (Point Break) are joined by Jack Whitaker (Jack JL) and Adrian Whiteway (Chacco Volo) in an imposing British selection.

Victory in last year’s Longines League of Nations™ Final and team silver at the FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruña (ESP) have given Great Britain considerable momentum. Bronze medallists in Herning, they will arrive intent on climbing two steps higher on the podium.

Aachen has already witnessed one of Britain's defining World Championship triumphs, with the nation securing team gold in 1978, the first edition to award team Jumping medals. Nearly half a century later, they return to the scene of that success looking to conquer Aachen once again.

Home soil

Few nations can rival Germany’s Jumping World Championship record, and none will command greater support when the hosts enter Aachen’s 40,000-seat Main Stadium. Seven individual gold medals from 20 editions make Germany the most successful nation in the history of the competition, while the roar from the sold-out grandstands promises to provide an electrifying home advantage. 

Reigning European champion and world number two in the latest FEI Jumping World Ranking, Richard Vogel spearheads the German challenge riding United Touch S fresh from  their triumph at A Coruña last year. He is joined by Daniel Deusser (Otello de Guldenboom), Sophie Hinners (Iron Dames Singclair) and veteran campaigner Marcus Ehning (Coolio 42), with Paris 2024 Olympic champion Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 named as the reserve combination.

Germany also share the record for the most World Championship team victories, standing level with France on three apiece. A fourth title would make the hosts the most successful nation of all time in the team competition.

With form, fans and history all pulling the same direction, Aachen could deliver the Germans a fairytale finish worthy of the Brothers Grimm themselves.

Contenders

Team USA head to Aachen with the credentials to match their ambition, sitting at the top of the FEI Jumping Nations Ranking ahead of nearest rivals Belgium. Olympic team silver medallists McLain Ward (High Star Hero) and Laura Kraut (Baloutinue) anchor a line-up completed by Katie Dinan (Out of the Blue SCF), Lillie Keenan (Fasther) and Natalie Dean (Mr Boombastic). 

Following their victory at A Coruña in 2025, Belgium will travel to Germany as European team champions and as a nation accustomed to finishing on the podium. Tokyo 2020 team bronze medallist Pieter Devos (Casual DV) is joined by fellow European champions Nicola Philippaerts (Katanga v/h Dingeshof) and Thibeau Spits (Impress-K van’t Kattenheye Z), with Abdel Saïd (Wathnan Quaker Brimbelles Z) and Emilie Conter (Portobella vd Fruitkorf) adding further depth to a team ready to challenge from the outset.

France arrive with form, firepower and a point to prove after missing the team podium at Herning in 2022. World number eight Nina Mallevaey, the highest-ranked female Athlete in the Longines Rankings, leads the challenge with Dynastie de Beaufour, alongside Julien Epaillard (Fringan de Vesquerie) and Kevin Staut (Exquis R.B.). Paris 2024 Olympic team bronze medallists Olivier Perreau and GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly once again don the tricolour, while Antoine Ermann (Floyd des Prés) rounds out a line-up built for the podium.

Switzerland counter with two of the sport’s most decorated names: 2019 European champion Martin Fuchs (Conner Jei) and Steve Guerdat, reunited with Dynamix de Belhème, the horse that carried him to individual silver in Paris. Gaëtan Joliat (Chelsea Z), Alain Jufer (Chaccoo de l’Escant MM) and Jason Smith (Picobello van’t Roosakker) complete a Swiss contingent certain to be brimming with confidence.

Global

The challenge stretches worldwide, bringing together Athletes whose journeys to Aachen could hardly be more different.

Brazil call on one of Jumping’s most recognisable names in Rodrigo Pessoa (Major Tom), the 1998 individual World Champion in Rome (ITA), whose presence adds proven championship experience to the South American charge.

Few Athletes in the field can match the longevity of Japan’s Taizo Sugitani (Quincy 194). He made his World Championship debut at just 18 at The Hague (NED) in 1994 has competed at every World Championship since, with the exception of Tryon (USA) 2018. More than three decades later he returns for his eighth appearance, adding another remarkable milestone to an enduring international career.

Among the individual contenders, Cyprus’ Alexa Stais (Cornflake CR) has taken one of the most unconventional routes to Aachen. Based in Germany, she will compete in Jumping 12 years after representing South Africa in Vaulting at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA) 2014. Her participation will carry added significance, with Cyprus among nine nations making their first appearance in Jumping at an FEI World Championship. 

The Dominican Republic, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Monaco, Palestine, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe will likewise make their debuts, further broadening the international scope of this year's competition.

Every nation will bring its own case for the crown, and every claim will be tested, with Course Designer Frank Rothenberger (GER) set to deliver a challenge worthy of the occasion. With representation stretching across the globe and Athletes arriving from across the globe, margins will be minimal and there will be little room for error once the first fence is jumped.

The Jumping competition at the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 will begin on Wednesday 19 August. Team medals will be decided on Friday 21 August, confirming which nations will ride away with those elusive tickets to LA. Sunday’s individual final will then crown the 2026 World Champion. 

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