Following the culmination of 11 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Leagues around the world, the definite list of entries for the 45th edition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final has been confirmed. Run across six continents, competition throughout the qualifying legs has been fierce, with athletes battling for points to secure qualification for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final staged in Basel (SUI) in just three weeks’ time.
FEI Communications
Forty-two athletes representing 23 countries will line up alongside 51 of their equine partners to decide who will be crowned the 2025 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Champion.
Defending Champion Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) has not only dominated the Longines World Rankings for 32 consecutive months but successfully defended his FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2023 title and being crowned Champion once again in Riyadh (KSA) 12 months ago with the aptly named King Edward. Von Eckermann returns this year in a bid to emulate the five athletes that have won this title three times apiece – Hugo Simon (AUT), Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER), Marcus Ehning (GER) and Steve Guerdat (SUI). Von Eckermann returns once again but is without King Edward on this occasion. If he could claim victory in Basel, he would join Pessoa in becoming the only two athletes to have taken the title in three consecutive years.
The Western European League was the largest of the leagues with 187 athletes participating across 14 qualifying legs and104 of those gaining points within the league. Eighteen qualifying spots were on offer and competition to secure one of these was as fierce as ever.
Kevin Staut (FRA) headed the league early in the season and maintained this position until the end. The Olympic Team and European Individual Gold Medallist would love to add ‘Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Champion’ to his already impressive resumé and heads to Basel in fine form. Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) finished second in the league, despite not contesting the last three qualifying legs, and will hope to improve on his fifth place from the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Riyadh 12 months ago.
Pieter Devos (BEL) impressed with a series of consistent performances aboard multiple horses across the qualifying legs which saw him secure the third qualifying spot for Basel’s Final. Having finished eighth in the 2024 edition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final with the then just nine-year-old Casual DV Z, he has chosen to bring the exciting homebred mare once again to vie for the title with another year of experience and a string of impressive 5* 1.60m performances under their belts, they will be ones to watch in Basel.
Robert Whitaker (GBR) finished in fourth position in the league and bids to emulate his father John, winner of back-to-back Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Finals in Dortmund (GER) 1990 and Gothenburg (SWE) 1991 with the great Milton. Robert takes his winning ride from Helsinki’s qualifying leg, Vermento, the stallion bred by his dual World Cup winning father.
Max Kühner (AUT), Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Gregory Wathelet (BEL) filled the next three positions in the standings, and line up again in Basel having finished in seventh, second and tenth positions respectively in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Riyadh in 2024.
Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) secured qualification when finishing eighth in the Western European League. He lines up in Basel with his dual Olympic Individual Bronze medallist Beauville Z N.O.P. Julien Anquetin (FRA) finished ninth in the Western European League and also confirms his attendance in Basel.
Former Champions Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Marcus Ehning (GER) qualified as 10th and 11th in the Western European League. Winner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2022 in Leipzig (GER) with Chaplin and The Sinner, Fuchs, competing at a World Cup Final on home soil for the first time, will vie to join an illustrious list of athletes who have won multiple World Cup Finals. Ehning is one of those athletes and belongs to an elite group of five athletes who have been crowned World Cup Champion three times. Ehning is the only one of these esteemed horsemen who lines up in Basel, thus bids to make history as the first athlete to take the coveted title for a fourth time.
Ehning’s compatriot, Sophie Hinners, makes her World Cup debut following an impressive first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season in which she made history by becoming the first female athlete to win Verona’s qualifying leg. She finished in 12th position in the league and takes her place in the Final.
Triple Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Maher (GBR) took 13th place in the league and heads to Basel hungry to add ‘World Cup Champion’ to his illustrious list of accolades. Mario Stevens (GER) confirms his attendance in Basel having finished in 14th ahead of Willem Greve (NED) who, somewhat unbelievably, makes his first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final appearance.
Richard Vogel (GER) stamped his authority on the league when winning both Lyon and Stuttgart’s qualifiers. He heads to Basel with his winning partner from both legs, the impressive United Touch S.
Determined to compete in front of a home crowd at his second Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final, Edouard Schmitz achieved his goal in securing his place by taking 17th place in the Western European League.
One of those five esteemed athletes that have been crowned World Cup Champion on three occasions, Steve Guerdat, was set to line up once again and bid to write another chapter in Jumping history. Unfortunately, a back injury requiring immediate surgery has seen Guerdat have to sit out this season’s Final. Kim Emmen (NED) is the beneficiary of Guerdat’s misfortune on this occasion as she has been called up as sub and has confirmed her participation in what will be her first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final next month.
The action gets under way with the first competition of the 2025 Edition of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final on 03 April 2025, with the third and final competition being staged on 06 April 2025.
Forty-seven athletes fought for three qualifying places in the Arab League – Middle East with 39 of those obtaining points over the ten qualifying legs. The Arab League – North Africa saw 34 athletes vie for two qualification places at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2025. The Central European League was hotly contested with 81 athletes contesting the Northern Sub-League, and 45 contesting the Southern equivalent. After completion of the two sub-leagues, athletes qualify to compete in the Central European League Final. From here, the top three placed athletes qualify to compete in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Ales Opatrny (CZE), Vince Jarmy (HUN) and Andrea Herck (ROU) made up the top three following the League Final and take up their qualifying spots in Basel next month.
Twenty athletes fought for a qualifying place within the Eurasian League, and it was Valeria Sokolova (KGZ) who secured the coveted qualification for Central Asia to contest her first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Shalva Gachechiladze (GEO) topped the Eurasian League – Caucasus Caspian region, and also lines up in Basel. Takamichi Mashiyama topped the Japan League taking the sole qualifying spot and has confirmed his participation in Basel.
Two qualification spots are on offer in the Australian League. These were won by Billy Raymont and Samuel Overton. Neither athletes nor the league sub Gemma Greighton will compete in Basel, so the Australian League will not be represented at this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final.
The New Zealand League was closely contested with Julie Davey and Luke Dee, both amassing 63 points across the four qualifying legs. With only one place on offer in the league, the qualifying spot passed down to Dee who has seized the opportunity to contest his first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final.
In the North America League qualification places are allocated into regions. Seven places are available to East USA athletes, three to West USA, two to Canada and two to Mexico. East USA’s seven qualification places pass down the line, but only six of these places will be taken up in Basel. Finishing second, third and fourth for East USA, Kirsten Vanderveen, Alise Oken and Lillie Keenan have confirmed their participation in Basel. Having finished sixth, seventh and eighth in the league, Olympic and World Gold Medallist Laura Kraut, McKayla Langmeier and Katherine Dinan (the first sub for qualification through for East USA), join their compatriots in the Swiss city next month.
The three qualification spots allocated to West USA were won by Kaitlin Campbell, Karl Cook and Skylar Wireman. Cook and Wireman turned down their place in Basel, so will be replaced by the West USA’s first and second subs, Shawn Cassidy and Alessandra Volpi who head to the final alongside Campbell.
Neither Mexico nor Canada will be represented via the North America League at this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final.
Ireland’s Daniel Coyle, domiciled in North America and consequently registered to compete in the North America League, qualifies as an ‘Extra Athlete’ in the North America League (East USA). In order to qualify as an extra athlete, he was required to have obtained at least as many points as the last qualified East USA athlete.
The South African League saw qualification for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final secured during the 2023/ 2024 season. Bronwyn Meredith Dos Santos topped the league for that period and takes her place at the Final in Basel next month. Dantas Medeiros de Carvalho will be the sole representative in Basel from the South American South League.
The Definite Entries list for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final can be found here
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