About Aachen 2026
The 2026 World Championships are taking place in Aachen, Germany, from 11 - 23 August, where athletes from across the globe will battle it out to be crowned World Champions across six equestrian disciplines.
Aachen sees the return of the World Championships (formerly the World Equestrian Games) exactly 20 years on from the last time this infamous equestrian venue hosted this event. Renowned for the CHIO Aachen, one of the most recognised equestrian events in the world, the city of Aachen and venue Allianz Park know how to put on a spectacle of an equestrian show!
About the World Championships
The FEI World Championships take place every four years, where athletes from dressage, para dressage, show jumping, eventing, driving and vaulting come together to compete for Team and Individual medals.
The last World Championships took place in 2022 at Herning in Denmark, where Britain's own Lottie Fry took home an individual gold medal in the Grand Prix Special aboad Glamourdale on a personal best score of 80.84%.
In the Team dressage event, the Danish team, comprising of Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, topped the podium with a combined score of 235.541. The British Team, comprised of Lottie Fry, Gareth Hughes, Charlotte Dujardin and Richard Davison, followed closely behind to take home silver with 234.233. The German team, made up of Ingrid Klimke, Bejamin Wendl, Isbell Werth and Fredric Wandres, finished in third with 230.791.
The competition format
There are a number of different competitions and medal opportunities across dressage and para dressage, with all the details of what's what below:
Dressage
Team competition: Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 August
- Medal opportunity!
- Grand Prix test
- Each team consists of three riders with three horses, or four riders with four horses
- The competition is split across two days, with two riders from each team competing on the Tuesday, and two riders from each team competing on the Wednesday
- After the two days the Team Medals are decided
- Qualifier for the Grand Prix Special Individual Final, with the top 30 combinations qualifying
Individual Grand Prix Special: Friday 14 August
- Medal opportunity!
- The top 30 combinations as determined by the team competition compete in the Grand Prix Special
- The top 18 combinations qualify for the following day's Grand Prix Freestyle
Individual Grand Prix Freestyle: Saturday 15 August
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Medal opportunity!
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The top 18 combinations from the Grand Prix Special compete to win the coveted individual World Champion title
- A maximum of three riders per country can participate
Latest times and results
Para dressage
Individual Final Grand Prix A: Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 August
- Medal opportunity!
- 15 medals are awarded across five grades (I-V)
- Grades I - III compete on Wednesday, grades IV and V compete on Thursday
- Qualifier for the Individual Freestyle Final
Team Final Grand Prix B: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August
- Medal opportunity!
- Each team consists of three riders with three horses or four riders with four horses. In a team of four riders only the three best total scores count for the team result.
- One team member must be classified as Graded I, II or III. A team can't include more than two riders from the same Grade.
- Riders of Grade I - III will compete on Friday 21 August, with riders of Grade IV - V competing on Saturday 22 August
- Second qualifier for the individual freestyle the following day
Grand Prix Freestyle Final: Sunday 23 August
- Medal opportunity!
- 15 medals are awarded across five Grades (I - V)
- The eight best riders per Grade from the Para Grand Prix Test A and B qualify for the Grand Prix Freestyle
- A maximum of three riders per nation can compete
