“The fields of competitors promise world-class equestrian sport in all six disciplines. We can hardly wait for it to finally begin,” said Birgit Rosenberg, Board Member of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein, the event organisers. The FEI Dressage World Championships kick off in the Main Stadium – with the dressage, a discipline where the sporting performances of the world’s top riders have got closer than ever in recent years: The defending champions from Denmark are heading to Aachen with the top favourite rider, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Mount St. John Freestyle, while Germany, the Olympic Champions, will be competing on home turf led by Isabell Werth – the most successful rider of all time – and Wendy de Fontaine. Great Britain is bringing two pairs with them, who are currently among the leaders in the world rankings: Double World Champions Charlotte Fry and Glamourdale, and the World Cup winner, Becky Moody and Jagerbomb. Belgium, on the other hand, can count on the 2025 two-time European champions: Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus. As exciting as the team medals in the Lambertz-Prize are expected to be, the individual competitions are equally open. In particular, the Grand Prix Freestyle, the Lindt-Prize, under floodlights is guaranteed to deliver goosebump moments on the evening of 15 August, just like it did at the same venue during the FEI 2006 World Equestrian Games.

The finals of the FEI Eventing World Championship will also take place in the first week. The 2024 Olympic Team Champions from Great Britain, Laura Collett, Tom McEwen and Rosalind Canter, will, among others, be up against top German riders, such as the three-time Olympic Champion, Michael Jung, and Julia Krajewski in the DHL-Prize. The field is rounded off by experienced veterans such as Andrew Hoy (Australia) and Tim Price (New Zealand) – a line-up that includes virtually all the big names in the sport. Simultaneously, the FEI Vaulting World Championship in Stadium 3 will provide equally thrilling, top-class sport: After winning two individual silver medals at the World Championships, the Double European Champion, Quentin Jabet from France, is now determined to take the title in the Prize of Sparkasse. The Italian Pas de Deux pair, Rebecca Greggio and Davide Zanella, are two of the world’s best athletes in their discipline, while in her final championship appearance, Kathrin Meyer from Germany, aims to make use of the home advantage to assert herself in an exceptionally strong international field.

Highly-decorated participants in the jumping, driving and para dressage

In the second week, the show-jumpers will reclaim the Main Stadium to battle it out in the FEI Jumping World Championship. Almost all of the current top names from the top jumping scene will compete in the famous arena: The double World Champion, Henrik von Eckermann from Sweden, the Swiss riders, Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs, both of whom are in top form, as well as the entire British Olympic gold medal-winning team from Paris 2024, including Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Harry Charles. The German team will compete in the Mercedes-Benz Prize with the European Champion, Richard Vogel, heading their team. Nations such as Ireland, the USA, Belgium and the Netherlands are also travelling to Aachen with star-studded teams. Only those who deliver consistently good performances throughout the week will have a chance of claiming a medal in the individual final, the LONGINES Prize, which will provide a thrilling conclusion to the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 on the afternoon of 23 August.

The FEI Driving World Championship Four-in-hand will also get underway prior to that. The seven-time World Champion, Boyd Exell (Australia), the undisputed number one in the world rankings for years, is travelling to Aachen with his sights set on clinching the only title that is missing from his collection: A world championship victory in Aachen. The driving legend was injured shortly before the championships in 2006 – 20 years later, he hopes to finally rewrite that chapter. His toughest rivals for the gold medal include the European Champion and World Cup winner Bram Chardon (The Netherlands) and Dries Degrieck (Belgium), who is considered to be one of the most promising four-in-hand drivers in the world as well as being a key member of the Belgian team. The FEI Para Dressage World Championship competitions are also part of the programme in the second week – featuring once again a field that represents almost the entire current elite of the sport. Among others, the multiple Paralympic medallist, Regine Mispelkamp and the three-time European Champion, Heidemarie Dresing, will be representing Germany in the Allianz-Prize. From abroad, the world number one, Kate Shoemaker (USA), the three-time Olympic Champion Fiona Howard (USA), and the double Olympic Champion, Rihards Snikus from Latvia, will ensure that the most successful para dressage riders in the world will be battling it out for gold, silver and bronze in Aachen.

You would like to see the world equestrian elite live in action? Then, secure your tickets for the FEI World Championships Aachen 2026 now from the online shop, via the ticket hotline on +49-(0)241-9171111 or from the offices of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein.