Chef d’Equipe Edouard Couperie’s quartet of Nina Mallevaey (Destine to Be), Antoine Ermann (Floyd des Pres), Simon Delestre (Gatsby du Tillard) and Julien Epaillard (Donatello d’Auge) finished on just four penalties after two thrilling rounds at Haras de Gassin.

Brazil took second on eight penalties with a time of 216.32 seconds, while Belgium also finished on eight penalties but had to settle for third with a time of 217.44.

The victory perfectly bookended France’s campaign. Les Bleus opened the season with victory in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in February and, seven months later, closed the qualifying series in winning style under the Riviera sun.

Brazil set the pace

Course designer Grégory Bodo (FRA) ensured there would be no easy route to victory in the final qualifying act, setting a big, technical track of 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts, with a time allowed of 75 seconds.

The scale of the challenge was clear from the outset in Round 1, with only 14 combinations leaving every fence standing.

Among them was Belgium’s Abdel Saïd with Wathnan Bonne Amie, whose crucial clear helped keep his nation firmly in contention and ultimately on course for third place.

“It was quite big to jump, but he was fair with the time,” Saïd explained. “It was tough and technical until the very end, but with a lot of feeling. I think he is a brilliant builder.”

Brazil, however, were the only nation to complete the opening round without incurring a single penalty. Marlon Modolo Zanotelli (Charly Heart), João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes de Lima (Cashpaid J&f) and Pedro Junqueira Muylaert (Gemme Villers) all jumped clear, leaving Chef d’Equipe Pedro Paulo Luz Lacerda with the luxury of not starting fourth Athlete Stephan de Freitas Barcha (Chevaux Primavera Imperio Egipcio) and preserving the experienced combination for Round 2.

With only the top eight nations progressing to the second round, Switzerland and the Netherlands saw both their afternoon and their 2026 campaign come to an end.

France turn the tables

The temperature and pressure continued to rise as Round 2 quickly developed into a head-to-head battle between France and Brazil.

Mallevaey, Ermann and Delestre all returned clears for the home side, piling the pressure onto Brazil. With the two nations level at the top, the outcome came down to the final Brazilian combination of Zanotelli and Charly Heart. When the pair lowered fence 11, the four faults handed victory to France.

“To win at home is really, really special, and here in St Tropez-Gassin it is fantastic,” Couperie said after his team secured their second win of the season. “There was real pressure in the second round with three riders. I like this format.”

Delestre, who delivered the decisive clear, admitted the pressure had been considerable.

“Going last in that kind of competition with the possibility of winning for the team is very hard,” he said.

“But when you can make it, it is a fantastic feeling. We knew we had a strong team, but the course was really delicate and you could not make any mistakes. To win in front of your home crowd is fantastic.”

Barcelona places confirmed

For Team France, the home triumph provided the perfect send-off to Barcelona. France also topped the qualifying standings on 290 points, ahead of Germany and Great Britain on 275 apiece. Brazil finished on 270, followed by Ireland on 265, Belgium on 245 and the United States of America and Italy on 230.

Those eight nations now advance to next month’s Longines League of Nations™ Final in Barcelona, while Switzerland and the Netherlands miss out after finishing on 225 and 195 points respectively.