Thursday, 24 August 2023
The FEI has today confirmed the shortlisted bidders for the FEI World Championships 2026. The shortlist comprises five Organising Committees who have applied to host events in various disciplines, as follows:
In eventing, Burghley is joined by Boekelo (NED) and Aachen (GER) who have put in a mutli-discipline bid with eventing running alongside jumping, dressage, para dressage, driving four-in-hand and vaulting.
The other shortlisted submissions are for the FEI Endurance World Championship and they have come from Al Ula (KSA) and Samorin (SVK).
Burghley Horse Trials is delighted to have been short-listed to hold the 2026 FEI World Eventing Championship, alongside Aachen (Germany) and Boekelo (the Netherlands). Burghley hosted the first ever World Championship in eventing in 1966 but a World Championship has not been held in the UK since the 1974 Championships were run at Burghley.
“With our long association with Championships, unbeatable parkland setting, huge loyal following and world-class course we know we can run a brilliant World Championship here, and very much look forward to making our final bid presentation to the FEI Board in Lausanne next month,” says Event Director Martyn Johnson.
Burghley’s bid has the full support of British Equestrian, British Eventing and UK Sport.
The short-list reflects the FEI’s more flexible approach in recent years to welcoming single and multi-disciplinary World Championship bids to better serve the sports, their fans, and the global development of equestrian sport.
The FEI Board will allocate the FEI World Championships 2026 at its in-person Board Meeting on 18 November 2023 in Mexico City (MEX), following a thorough review by the FEI Evaluation Commission and taking into account recommendations by the Technical Committees.
“We are very pleased with the variety of bids we have received,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “Following the outstanding FEI World Championships 2022 organised in Denmark, Italy and the UAE, we are confident this flexible approach with single and multiple bids serves not only the sport, but also the fans and the development of equestrian around the world, allowing different nations and venues to bid to host a major FEI event.”
Following three decades of a unique host formula for senior World Championships under the FEI World Equestrian Games™ format, in 2022 the FEI returned to a more flexible approach accepting single and multiple World Championship bids with a focus on catering to the needs and specificities of each discipline. Herning (DEN) hosted hugely successful events in Jumping, Dressage, Para Dressage, and Vaulting whereas Eventing and Driving Four-in-Hand competitions took place at Pratoni Del Vivaro (ITA), venue of the 1960 Olympic equestrian events. The FEI Endurance World Championships 2022 were held at Butheeb (UAE) last February.
The FEI World Championships 2026 in Jumping, Dressage, Para Dressage, and Eventing will be the first qualifying events for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.