Months Before the Allocation of World Championships 2026, Equestrian Federation Shows Interest in Popular City

The International Federation for Equestrian Sports recently ditched its long-standing practice of holding all equestrian events at one venue. The Federation, or FEI, recently released a list of nations that volunteered to host the upcoming 2026 FEI World Championships.

Equestrian fans didn’t fail to notice the name of the famed equestrian Mecca of Aachen, Germany, on the list. In fact, fans also took note of the fact that Aachen is being projected as the primary host of the upcoming world championships.

German equestrian powerhouse likely to host world championships

While a final name has not been released yet, the list clearly conveys the intentions of FEI. The city of Aachen is known for hosting the most impressive world championships in the history of equestrian sports. Almost every equestrian athlete and fan remembers the 2006 FEI World Championships in Aachen.

The mega-event boosted the popularity of equestrian sports through the roof and inspired several people worldwide to play the sport. The atmosphere of Aachen made things infinitely better for all participating athletes, foreign journalists, and even first-time spectators. In fact, the 2006 Championships acquainted the world with the CHIO Aachen equestrian festival.

The festival already played an important part in the culture of Aachen. However, the global exposure greatly increased the footfall of equestrian as well as non-equestrian enthusiasts to the annual festival.

The German city of Aachen isn’t just competent according to industry standards, it also owns a welcoming environment. Furthermore, the success of 2006 wasn’t a one-off stroke of luck. Participants just loved their experience at the 2015 European Championships and the 2022 Youth Equestrian Games. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports has set its eyes on Aachen once again.

While the final announcements will be made in November, the provisional list already speaks volumes about the future. The four other cities apart from Aachen have been listed for single events. Boekelo (Netherlands) and Burghley (Great Britain) are listed for eventing by the FEI. Other than that, the cities of Al Ula (Saudi Arabia) and Samorin (Slovakia) have been listed for endurance. Aachen on the other hand has been listed for multiple events.

World prepares to march to Aachen

The FEI has listed the city of Aachen for jumping, dressage, para-dressage, eventing, driving, and vaulting. The final decision of the in-person board meeting of the technical committee is still pending. However, players and fans speculate that the meeting on 18th November in Mexico City will just hold a ceremonial value.

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Equestrians worldwide are already expecting to enjoy the largest equestrian festival once again while competing at the World Championships. The 2022 World Championships were successfully held in the cities of Herning (Denmark), Pratoni Del Vivaro (Italy), and Butheeb (UAE). It was also the first time the FEI switched out of its three-decade tradition of organizing everything at one venue. However, since Aachen will most likely be chosen for 2026, athletes will pray for their event to fall in Germany.

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