The Fédération Equestre Internationale announced today, Nov. 18, that Aachen, Germany, will host the world championships for dressage, jumping, para-dressage, eventing, driving and vaulting in 2026. The event will be held Aug. 10-23, 2026.
The endurance championship will take place in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 17, 2026.
In 2006 Aachen hosted the fifth edition of the FEI World Equestrian Games, which attracted around 576,000 spectators. In addition, the venue stages the renowned yearly CHIO, which draws top competitors in all disciplines.
As of Nov. 20, tickets are available in dressage, para-dressage and jumping. Eventing, vaulting and driving tickets will be available at a later date.
“We thank the FEI for their trust,” said Michael Mronz, CHIO Aachen general manager. “We feel honored and pleased to host, together with the German Equestrian Federation, the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 in six disciplines: jumping, dressage, eventing, driving, vaulting and para-dressage. Already today we would like to invite the entire world of equestrian sport to Aachen so that we can celebrate an unforgettable event together in 2026.”
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Other bidders for the eventing discipline only were Boekelo (the Netherlands) and Burghley (Great Britain). Samorin, Slovakia, also bid for the endurance discipline.
“The allocation by the FEI Board of the FEI World Championships 2026 to Aachen and Al Ula is a significant decision for the future of equestrian sport,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos. “We examined every aspect of the bids we received and especially the sporting infrastructures, the conditions for the horses, accessibility and sustainability. The FEI is delighted to have secured such outstanding hosts for our most prestigious championships three years in advance, which allows plenty of time for preparation and planning.
“I would like to congratulate the winners, who submitted outstanding bids. We are all well aware of Aachen’s unique track record of organizing extremely successful large-scale events,” De Vos continued. “We were impressed with Al Ula’s proposal, which not only contains all the components of a successful event but seeks to showcase the heritage and potential of an entire region.
“And last but not least, I would like to thank all the bidders, who took part in this process for their strong bids and commitment to the sport. It was not easy to choose between such strong bids. We hope that those who didn’t get it this time will consider bidding for future events,” he added.
