The 46th Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final will be held April 8–12 in Fort Worth, United States. This highlight of the indoor season will feature 36 riders from 19 countries competing for the sport’s most prestigious title.
The field includes several former champions, such as three-time winner Steve Guerdat (Switzerland), Martin Fuchs (Switzerland), McLain Ward (USA), and Daniel Deusser (Germany).
Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat arrives in Texas with history on his mind. The three-time champion is aiming for a record-breaking fourth FEI Jumping World Cup™ victory, having already claimed the title in 2015, 2016, and 2019. The Swiss star capped off the Western European League season with a convincing victory at the Helsinki (Finland) leg, following up on his previous first-place finish in Leipzig (Germany) on Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte, who is also his choice for the final. If the pair brings the same form to Fort Worth, the year 2026 could write a new chapter in the record books.
Martin Fuchs, who won the world championship in 2022 riding Chaplin and The Sinner, returns to the spotlight this time with the 11-year-old gelding L&L Lorde. One of the sport’s most consistent performers in major competitions knows exactly what it takes to reach the top and further strengthens Switzerland’s strong showing in Fort Worth.
Six-time Olympian McLain Ward (USA) is no stranger to the history of his home arena. He remains the most recent athlete to win the FEI Jumping World Cup™ title in his home country, having secured a memorable victory with HH Azur in Omaha (USA) in 2017. Now competing in his 21st final, Ward arrives in Texas with the 12-year-old gelding Jordan Molga M, aiming for another moment of American glory.
The list of returning champions doesn’t end there. Germany’s Daniel Deusser, who won the title in Lyon in 2014 on Cornet d’Amour, will compete in Fort Worth on Otello de Guldenboom. After a strong season in the Western European League, one of the most experienced names on the entry list could still add a dramatic finale to his career. Reigning champion Julien Epaillard will not be there to defend his title.
The final will also feature a number of first-time participants: a total of 16 riders will be making their debut, including Johan-Sebastian Gulliksen of Norway, Eiken Sato of Japan, and Jessica Burke of Ireland.
With the final list of participants now confirmed, 36 athletes from 19 countries will take their places at the starting line when the finals return to the United States in April. Among those who secured a spot in the finals in Helsinki are Jordy van Massenhoeve, Patrick Stühlmeyer, and Oda Charlotte Lyngvaer.
The host country, the United States, is entering the competition with a strong team that includes, among others, Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington, who is ranked second in the world. History is on the United States’ side: with 11 championships, the country remains the most successful in the history of the finals. The United States also dominates the women’s competition—four of the five female riders to have won the world championship have been American: Melanie Smith (1982), Leslie Burr-Howard (1986), Katharine Burdsall (1987), and Beezie Madden (2013 and 2018).
The competition will take place at Dickies Arena, an impressive, state-of-the-art arena with a capacity of 14,000. Renowned course designer Anderson de Moura Lima (MEX) is in charge of the courses, and starting with the very first round, competitors can expect a challenge befitting the prestige of the event.
The first show jumping competition will take place at Dickies Arena on Thursday, April 9; the second on Friday, April 10; and the grand finale on Sunday, April 12, will crown the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion.
The final list of participants is available here.
