On 13 February a compelling mix of championship veterans, rising stars and their phenomenal equine partners will line up to represent their nations under the desert sun. With each Chef d’Equipe’s four chosen athletes confirmed, the team announcements signal a fiercely competitive start in the UAE’s capital.

Following the immense success of the inaugural staging of the Longines League of Nations™ in 2024, the much-anticipated series returned under the same format for 2025 and received further praise from athletes, organisers and spectators alike. Now entering its third season, the Longines League of Nations™ concept is firmly cemented into the calendars of the top ten Jumping nations on the planet. The 2026 Longines League of Nations™ series gets underway in Abu Dhabi at the impressive Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (ADEC) on 13 February 2026.

Rankings for the Longines League of Nations™

The Longines League of Nations™ is open to ten qualified teams. The winning team from the previous season’s Final gains automatic qualification, whilst the remaining nine places are allocated to the nine highest-ranked jumping nations in the world (disregarding the nation already qualified). For 2026, the ranking list that determined those nine teams was the Longines League of Nations™ Ranking No. 26, which included results up to 31 October 2025.

Points accumulated by the top six athletes from each nation, including one U25, are combined to give each nation their total. These totals determine the national rankings from which the top nine teams become eligible to compete in the Longines League of Nations™.

USA headed the Longines League of Nations™ Rankings No. 26. They are joined in the 2026 series, in order of qualification, by Belgium, Ireland, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Brazil, who rejoins the Longines League of Nations™ having participated in the inaugural season before dropping out of the qualification places for 2025. Great Britain finished sixth in the team rankings but had already qualified for the 2026 series by winning the Longines League of Nations™ 2025 Final. These ten qualified teams are joined in Abu Dhabi by the host nation, United Arab Emirates.

Longines League of Nations™ Series

The series consists of four qualifying events, each offering a prize fund of €700,000, culminating in the Final in Barcelona (ESP) in October, where €1,600,000 in prize money and lucrative bonus rewards await the world’s elite.
From Abu Dhabi, the series heads across the Atlantic to Ocala (USA) in March, returns to Rotterdam (NED) in June, before St.Tropez–Gassin (FRA) -a successful addition to last year’s calendar- again hosts the final qualifying leg in September.

Following the four qualifying legs, the top eight teams in the league standings will qualify for the most prestigious team jumping competition in the world, the Longines League of Nations™ Final. The finale will once again take place in the magnificent grounds of the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona, where the 2026 Longines League of Nations™ Champions will be crowned.

Longines League of Nations™ Format

The 2026 Longines League of Nations™ series will follow the same proven format as in the past two seasons. The unique concept differs slightly from that of traditional Nations Cups. The Longines League of Nations™ also consists of two full rounds of Jumping over an identical track, but whilst all teams send out four athletes in round one with the best three scores counting for the team total, it is the subtle plot twist in round two which has proven to ramp up the pressure and excitement of the team competition like the world has never seen before.

The best eight teams return for round two, where the Longines League of Nations™ puts its own unique stamp on the historic team Jumping format. Teams returning for the second round no longer have the luxury of a discard score as only three athletes from each nation may jump again with every score now counting. After two rounds, the team with the lowest combined score (the least faults) will be the winner.

In the event of a tie for first place after the second round, there will be a jump-off between the tying nations with just one athlete from each of those teams coming forward. There will be no jump-off for any placings beyond this. In the event of a tie for lower placings, the combined time of the three athletes in the second round will determine the final standings.

Meet the Teams

USA
Team USA leans on girl power to pack a punch in their opening campaign, as Robert Ridland’s transatlantic-bound quartet have been named as Natalie Dean, Callie Schott, Sarah Segal and Skylar Wireman. 

Belgium
Belgium arrives buoyed by their sensational Team Gold Medal at the 2025 FEI Jumping European Championship in A Coruña (ESP) last July. Peter Weinberg fields seasoned Longines League of Nations™ competitors Rik Hemeryck, Jos Verlooy, Wilm Vermeir and Annelies Vorsselmans.

Ireland
Team Ireland returns to defend the title they won here 12 months ago, now under the guidance of newly appointed Chef d’Equipe Jessica Kürten. Trevor Breen and Michael Pender proved instrumental to last year’s victory, completing both rounds of the 2025 edition without incurring a single penalty between them. They return this year eager to repeat the feat alongside Longines League of Nations™ debutants Shane Breen and Niamh McEvoy.

Germany
Germany became the first nation to lift the coveted Longines League of Nations™ trophy when victorious in 2024’s inaugural Final. German team stalwart Marco Kutscher makes his Longines League of Nations™ debut alongside three familiar faces to the series. Daniel Deusser, Sophie Hinners and Jörne Sprehe complete a formidable German squad.

France
France brings a wealth of Longines League of Nations™ experience to Abu Dhabi. Simon Delestre, Antoine Ermann, Olivier Perreau and Jeanne Sadran look set to put up a powerful performance in the season's opener.

Netherlands

A quartet of proven Championship athletes line up for the Netherlands as Chef d’Equipe Wout-Jan van der Schans calls upon the experience of Kim Emmen, Frank Schuttert, Leopold van Asten and Jur Vrieling to get the Dutch campaign off to a flying start.

Italy
Impressive in their debut Longines League of Nations™ season in 2025, Italy returns to Abu Dhabi with an experienced team intent on scaling the podium. Team veteran Piergiorgio Bucci lines up alongside teammates Giacomo Casadei, Paolo Paini and Clara Pezzoli.

Switzerland
Switzerland head into this year’s series bidding to make amends for what was, by their own exceptional standards, a disappointing 2025 campaign. Longines League of Nations™ newcomer Jason Smith joins Romain Duguet, Gaëtan Joliat and Barbara Schnieper in Abu Dhabi.

Brazil
Chef d’Equipe Pedro Paulo Lacerda brings a motivated squad back to the Longines League of Nations™. João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes de Lima and Luiz Felipe Neto de Azevedo make their first appearance in the series alongside experienced athletes Luciana Diniz and Pedro Junqueira Muylaert.

Great Britain
Last season’s Longines League of Nations™ Final Champions and reigning Olympic Team Gold Medallists, Great Britain, rely on a youthful quartet to get their 2026 season off to a strong start. Team regular Tim Gredley lines up alongside Joseph Stockdale, Jack Whitaker and series debutant Jodie Hall McAteer.

UAE
Host Nation United Arab Emirates delighted home fans last year with a superb second place finish. The same proven quartet returns as Abdullah Mohd Al Marri, Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi and Humaid Abdulla Khalifa Al Muhairi are eager to climb one step higher on the podium.