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Overview of the championships

This year, six disciplines will descend on the Germany city of Aachen for the FEI World Championships between 11–23 August 2026. The very best athletes in dressage, driving, eventing, jumping, para dressage and vaulting will compete for team and individual honours on some of the most hallowed turf and arena surface in the equestrian world, and we've gathered all the information you need to follow the action. 

All about Aachen

Aachen is a landmark venue in the world of equestrian sport. Located approximately 61km east of Cologne in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, its annual CHIO (Concours Hippique International Officiel) show has a history dating back to 1898. It is considered to be the biggest equestrian meeting in the world, covering the sports of dressage, driving, eventing, jumping and vaulting on its dedicated Allianz Park showground at the northern end of the city. 

Away from equestrian sport, the city of Aachen is perhaps most famously known as the main royal residence of the Frankish Empire ruled by Charlemagne in the 9th century. It was granted city rights by Emperor Frederick Barbossa in 1166 and served as the coronation site of 31 Holy Roman Emperors as Kings of Germany between 936 and 1531. Today, it houses one of Germany’s leading institutes for higher education in technology – the RWTH Aachen University – and its university hospital is Europe’s largest single-building hospital. The Aachen Cathedral, built on the orders of Charlemagne in 796 is the largest north of the Alps and one of the city’s main attractions. 

The venue

The Allianz Park, which is part of the Sport Park Soers sports facility, features three stadiums and extensive tradestand areas. 

  • Main Stadium: An expansive grass arena that can seat around 40,000 spectators. It traditionally houses the jumping competition and the final fences of the eventing cross-country course. For the championship, a large surfaced arena has also been added to the centre for the dressage. The opening and closing ceremonies, plus a number of side events, will take place in this area. 
  • Stadium 2: The smaller grass arena will be home to the dressage phases of the eventing and driving competitions. 
  • Stadium 3: Usually the home of the dressage competition at the annual CHIO Aachen show, a roof has been added to make it suitable to house the vaulting competition. Para dressage will also take place here during the second week of the championships. 
  • Cross-Country Course Soers: An series of grass fields stretching out into the Soers wetland area north of Aachen. This will be the home of the eventing cross-country course and the driving marathon course. 

In time for this year’s FEI World Championships, the venue has constructed a new complex of 204 stables. These include an advanced ventilation system, spacious looseboxes, high ceilings and accessible features for para athletes. There are also dining and relaxation facilities for grooms. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs, with a focus on welfare, functionality and accessibility. 

Key dates

Below is a broad overview of the competition schedule for the FEI World Championships. You can find further details on the Aachen 2026 website, using the link below, or check out our social media channels to find out when the British athletes will be competing. 

Tuesday 11 August

  • Opening ceremony 
  • Dressage: Grand Prix 

Wednesday 12 August

  • Dressage: Grand Prix 

Thursday 13 August

  • Eventing: Dressage test 
  • Vaulting: Compulsory Test (Female) 
  • Vaulting: Compulsory Test (Male)
  • Vaulting: Compulsory Test 

Friday 14 August

  • Dressage: Grand Prix Special
  • Eventing: Dressage test
  • Vaulting: Technical Test (Male) 
  • Vaulting: Technical Test (Female)
  • Vaulting: Pas de Deux 

Saturday 15 August

  • Dressage: Grand Prix Freestyle
  • Eventing: Cross-country 
  • Vaulting: Free Test Final (Female)
  • Vaulting: Free Test Final (Male) 
  • Vaulting: Free Test Finale (Squads) 

Sunday 16 August

  • Eventing: Showjumping 
  • Vaulting: Pas de Deux Final 
  • Vaulting: Team competition 
  •  

Monday 17 August

  • Allianz Park Day

Tuesday 18 August 

  • Jumping: Warm-up with obstacles – open to the public but not televised

Wednesday 19 August

  • Jumping: Speed competition
  • Para Dressage: Individual (G1) 
  • Para Dressage: Individual (G2)
  • Para Dressage: Individual (G3)

Thursday 20 August

  • Driving: Dressage test 
  • Jumping: Round 1 
  • Para Dressage: Individual (G4) 
  • Para Dressage: Individual (G5)

Friday 21 August

  • Driving: Dressage test
  • Jumping: Round 2 and team final
  • Para Dressage: Team (G1) 
  • Para Dressage: Team (G2) 
  • Para Dressage: Team (G3)

Saturday 22 August

  • Driving: Marathon 
  • Para Dressage: Team (G4) 
  • Para Dressage: Team (G5)

Sunday 23 August

  • Driving: Cones 
  • Jumping: Individual final 
  • Para Dressage: Freestyle (G1) 
  • Para Dressage: Freestyle (G2)
  • Para Dressage: Freestyle (G3)
  • Para Dressage: Freestyle (G4) 
  • Para Dressage: Freestyle (G5) 
  • Closing ceremony

You can find the full schedule here

Follow the action

Every moment of the action from Aachen will be streamed on FEI.TV via ClipMyHorse.TV – you'll need a subscription to access the coverage. Commentary is available in a number of languages, or you can choose to watch withouth commentary. 

As further coverage details become available, including any streaming on the FEI YouTube channel or Facebook pages, this page will be updated. 

Read our daily competition reports on the dedicated section of our News feed

All start times and results are available via Longines Timing – please note that draws will not take place or be made available for each discipline before the first horse inspection or previous round of competition. 

Buy tickets

Tickets for the FEI World Championship are available to purchase through the online box office – please note that numbers are limited for certain disciplines or events. The para dressage competition has free seating and does not require a stadium ticket. However, you must purchase a Village ticket, which grants access to the site and shopping village.

If you require accomodation, there are details on the Aachen 2026 website – while many local hotels have been allocated for athletes and national federations, there are still options available in nearby towns and just across the borders in the Netherlands and Belgium. 

A greener stage for world-class sport 

The CHIO Aachen is on a mission to become a 'green event.' They have created awareness for this goal at an early stage and initiatiated projects such as the 'Garden of Eden.' Their aim is to handle resources sparingly, reduce environmental impact, save energy and act as sustainably and socially as possible.

Find out more

Aachen 2026 official website

Aachen 2026 official Facebook page

Aachen 2026 official Instagram page

FEI website