On Tuesday, 11 August, Aachen opens the World Equestrian Championships. Thirteen days of competition, six disciplines, a main arena seating 45,000 spectators. And stakes that extend far beyond medals: the first tickets to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are distributed here.
For France, the equation comes down to a few figures. Seven places to secure in show jumping, seven in eventing, seven in para-dressage, six in dressage. Missing the boat doesn’t close the Olympic door, but forces a return through the 2027 European Championships with less margin for error. Here is what hangs in the balance before the first competitor takes the arena.
Thirteen Days, Six Disciplines, One Venue
Everything takes place at the Soers complex in Aachen, Germany, from 11 to 23 August 2026. Six disciplines of the International Equestrian Federation converge here, something that hasn’t happened on a single site in a very long time.
- First week: dressage 11 to 15 August, eventing 13 to 16, vaulting 13 to 16.
- Second week: show jumping 18 to 23 August, para-dressage 19 to 23, four-in-hand driving 20 to 23.
The seventh discipline, endurance, runs separately in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, later in the year. A detail that speaks volumes about the scale of the undertaking: the main arena’s sand rectangle will be re-turfed between the two weeks to transition from dressage to show jumping. To navigate between all these competitions, our overview of equestrian disciplines places each format in its proper context.
Seven Tickets to Los Angeles, and Not One More
The FEI has made these World Championships the first stage of team qualification for Los Angeles 2028. It is the largest allocation of places distributed in a single instance throughout the entire cycle. The quota varies by discipline:
- Show jumping: the seven best teams secure their place. Only twenty nations will compete at the Games, with three combinations each.
- Eventing: seven teams qualified in Aachen as well.
- Dressage: six teams for only fifteen places at Los Angeles.
- Para-dressage: seven nations for the Paralympic Games.
The United States, host nation of the Games, is already qualified and does not therefore occupy a place in this count. Nations that fall short in Aachen retain alternative pathways: the 2027 European Championships, Pan American Games, regional qualifying events, all running until the end of 2027. World rankings and quota mechanics are detailed in our feature on equestrian sport at the Olympic Games.
What France Must Achieve
The French Federation of Equestrian Sports announced its selections at the end of July. Its president, Frédéric Bouix, set the tone: “This year carries particular significance with the stakes of direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.”
Show Jumping, the Most Competitive Discipline
National selector Edouard Coupérie has fielded Julien Epaillard and Fringan de Vesquerie, Antoine Ermann and Floyd des Prés, Nina Mallevaey and Dynastie de Beaufour, Olivier Perreau and Dorai d’Aiguilly*GL Events, with Kevin Staut and Exquis RB as the fifth combination, designated as reserve. His objective is clear: “Our primary ambition is to secure direct qualification for the next Olympics by finishing among the top seven. Thirty-two nations will take the start, something unprecedented with so many teams, and the competition will be fierce.” Thirty-two nations for seven tickets: the numbers speak for themselves. The full competition format is explained on our show jumping page.
Eventing, a Dual Objective
Jean-Luc Force has selected five combinations: Alexis Goury and Je’Vall, Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza, Benjamin Massié and Figaro Fonroy, Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’Or, Nicolas Touzaint and Diabolo Menthe. The selector embraces the dual ambition: “Qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Games and finishing on the podium. We need to be among the top seven teams to secure our ticket.” He cites the British, Germans, and New Zealanders as direct rivals. The three phases of the discipline are analysed on our eventing page.
Dressage, a Milestone to Capture
This is the discipline where history weighs most heavily. Jean Morel has selected Alexandre Ayache and Ruling Olivia, Pauline Basquin and Sertorius de Rima Z*IFCE, Bertrand Liégard and Ginger, Alizée Roussel and Bel Amour. His assessment is forthright: “The six top teams will secure their ticket to Los Angeles 2028. France has never qualified via the World Championships before, but we go in as favourites.” France finished fifth at Paris 2024, while its usual ranking sits between sixth and tenth place. Our dressage page details the tests and marking system.
Para-dressage, Driving, Vaulting
In para-dressage, four French combinations defend the colours with one mandate: finish among the top seven nations to secure Los Angeles. In four-in-hand driving, three French drivers compete under the direction of Félix-Marie Brasseur, who won the world title in Aachen in 2006. Both these disciplines run in the second week, when the public begins to know where to look.
What to Watch If You’re Not a Rider
Each discipline has its own rules, and they make sense within two minutes.
- Show jumping: obstacles up to 5ft 5in (1.65 m), spreads sometimes exceeding 6ft 6in (2 m) wide. A rail down costs 4 points; each second over the time allowed costs 1 point. The best score is closest to zero. The programme features a speed class, a Grand Prix in two rounds deciding team medals, then an individual final for the top 25, of whom 12 advance to a second round.
- Eventing: two days of dressage, then the cross-country, the phase the public awaits. Nearly 4 miles (6 km) of rolling terrain, roughly forty fixed jumps, an average speed of 22 mph (35 km/h) over about ten minutes. The next morning, horses pass inspection to verify recovery before a show jumping course at 4ft 3in (1.30 m) contested in reverse order of standing.
- Dressage: seven judges around the arena, each movement scored 0 to 10, results expressed as a percentage. The winning combination is the one that makes a difficult exercise appear effortless.
A useful guide for reading an eventing team placing: the team manager designates three or four combinations beforehand, and only the three best scores count. An elimination on cross-country and manoeuvring room vanishes. Our comparison of equestrian disciplines helps position each against the others.
- Team rankings, not individual feats. An individual medal secures no team ticket.
- The number of combinations that go clear. In eventing, one elimination can cost an entire nation.
- Consistency over three days, rather than a brilliant one-phase performance.
- Horse fitness, verified at each veterinary inspection during the championship.
- Field density. Thirty-two nations starting in show jumping is a record.
Aachen Isn’t Just Any Venue
The Aachen CHIO has existed since 1898. Each year, more than 350,000 spectators visit the Soers complex, known to insiders as the temple of equestrian sport. Over 400 journalists work there, and the main grass arena holds 45,000 seats. Winners of the major competitions see their names and their horses’ names inscribed on the winners’ wall.
The city hosted the World Equestrian Games twenty years ago in 2006, attracting 61 delegations. France finished fifth in the medal table, with three medals won the same day, all in endurance. In 2015, at the European Championships held on this same ground, France took fifth place in show jumping and sixth in dressage, opening the door to Rio 2016. A year later, they became Olympic team champions.
This grass terrain changes the equation for horses unfamiliar with jumping on it. It was one criterion French selectors weighed carefully. Riders encountering this surface type at championship level start with a disadvantage Germany, competing at home, does not share.
The Calendar to Remember
- Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 August: Grand Prix dressage, team medals awarded after the second session.
- Thursday 13 and Friday 14 August: eventing dressage phase, alongside the Grand Prix Special for specialists.
- Saturday 15 August: the eventing cross-country, the fortnight’s most watched phase. Evening: freestyle dressage final to music.
- Sunday 16 August: eventing show jumping, team and individual medals.
- Wednesday 19 to Friday 21 August: speed class, then two show jumping team rounds, the second held at night.
- Sunday 23 August: individual show jumping final in two rounds, then championships close.
Competition is broadcast live on ClipMyHorse.tv, and official timing publishes start lists and results as the days progress. Schedules remain provisional and often shift by fifteen minutes. To understand how a French rider reaches this level, our page on French Federation competition and licensing traces the pathway from the local club.
- FEI World Championships 11 to 23 August 2026 in Aachen, Germany, across six disciplines.
- First stage of team qualification for Los Angeles 2028 Games.
- Seven tickets in show jumping, seven in eventing, seven in para-dressage, six in dressage.
- France is entered in all these disciplines, with selections announced end of July by the French Federation.
- In dressage, no French team has ever qualified for the Games via a World Championship.
Nothing is settled. These words are written before the first horse inspection, and a thirteen-day championship is won as much on horse freshness at the finish as on first-day scores. What is fixed are the dates, venue, format, and number of places. The rest will play out before 45,000 people.
Sources: International Equestrian Federation (Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification systems), French Federation of Equestrian Sports (press materials and selection announcements, 27 July 2026), official website of the 2026 Aachen World Championships. Equirider is affiliated with neither the FEI nor the French Federation.
