The 10 nations that will participate in next year’s inaugural Longines League of Nations series, which is set to replace the current Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup circuit, were announced Wednesday by the Fédération Equestre Internationale.
The series, which will kick off Feb. 11 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) before making its second stop March 23 at World Equestrian Center-Ocala (Florida), reimagines the FEI Jumping Nations Cup series with a unique, unified and global format. While 2024 will continue to see two-round competitions, the League of Nations will have a new format in which four riders from each nation will compete in the first round, while only three advance to the second round, where there will be no drop score.
The Longines League of Nations will see the top 10 teams from around the world competing at four qualifying events—after Ocala, the series goes to St. Gallen (Switzerland) May 31 and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) June 21—culminating in the finals, to be held Oct. 6 in Barcelona, where the top eight teams will vie to become the first in history to hoist the Longines League of Nations trophy.
The 10 confirmed teams for 2024, along with their ranking points that secured their participation in the series, are:
1. Ireland (13,834 points)
2. U.S. (13,532)
3. France (12,890)
4. Germany (12,876)
5. Switzerland (12,514)
6. Great Britain (12,045)
7. Netherlands (11,957)
8. Belgium (11,552)
9. Sweden (10,237)
10. Brazil (9,289)
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The full rankings can be seen here.
U.S. Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland said he expects to use the team events as valuable experience for younger riders, as well as incorporating the competitions into the preparation process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“We have always believed that Nations Cups form the bedrock of the sport of jumping, and from the beginning we have been tremendously supportive of the FEI’s initiative to revitalize and strengthen the Longines series,” he said.
Learn more about the series here.
