LONGINES FEI JUMPING NATIONS CUP™: the countdown has begun

The LONGINES FEI Nations Cup™ series is equestrian sport’s oldest and most prestigious team challenge, with national teams from around the globe competing for one of the most coveted prizes in this Olympic discipline.

The series aims to unite nations and foster lifelong enthusiasm for the world of horses. Its global format means that more countries can host qualifiers at world-class venues and aim to win the title by acquiring qualifying points according to their placings.

The countdown to the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2018 - the world’s biggest and most historic team Jumping series - has started, see the full calendar at this link:

http://inside.fei.org/fei/events/fei-nations-cup-series/jumping/calendar

In Europe Division 1, the number of teams competing has jumped from eight to 10 - alongside defending champions from The Netherlands will be France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden. They will be joined by Belgium and Great Britain, the two top finishing teams in Division 2 last year.

 The majority of the qualifiers will this year take place on Sunday afternoons for maximum audience reach, both onsite and on TV, with Dublin - the last of the eight Europe Division 1 qualifiers - retaining its traditional Friday slot on 10 August. 


All Division 1 countries will be allocated five events in 2018 at which they can collect qualifying points for the Final, with all five results counting.


Meanwhile, Europe Division 2 has been divided into four groups. A single qualifier will be staged in Budapest (HUN) on Sunday, 12 August, where a maximum of nine teams will compete for two tickets to the Final. The teams heading to Budapest will be decided by the European Equestrian Federation qualification system, as approved by the FEI, and through the FEI Jumping Nations Cup rankings system.


This incredible series will culminate in an awe-inspiring Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2018 Final at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona (ESP) this October, where up to 20 of the world’s best Jumping teams will go head-to-head. 


 “Last year’s Final was a thriller and, even after all these years, the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup continues to be the very best of our sport,” said Rob Ehrens, Chef d’Equipe of the Dutch team that claimed the 2017 title. 


“The competition is so intense, with every athlete and every round counting so much. It can be so close that whether you win or lose is decided by the very last athlete on your team. You don’t find sport like this anywhere else!”


See full details on: http://inside.fei.org/fei/events/fei-nations-cup-series/jumping