World Equestrian Championships open in Aachen as France chases LA 2028 Olympic quotas
The 2026 World Equestrian Championships open on August 11 in Aix-la-Chapelle, Germany, with France targeting Olympic quota places for Los Angeles 2028 across dressage, show jumping and eventing.
Championships format and schedule
The 2026 World Equestrian Championships will run from August 11 to 23 in Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen), Germany, one of the most celebrated equestrian venues in the sport. Organised every four years, the event serves as the principal international rendezvous of the 2026 season. The first week will be devoted to dressage, eventing (concours complet) and vaulting, while the second week will feature driving, para-dressage and show jumping, the flagship discipline. Show jumping competitions are scheduled from August 18 to 23, with France Télévisions broadcasting live coverage from August 19 to 23.
Olympic qualification stakes
For France, the primary objective in Aachen is to secure quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Nations must finish among the top six in dressage and the top seven in show jumping and eventing, excluding the host country, to earn those quotas. Two years ago, France claimed two team medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics: bronze in show jumping and silver in eventing. Selector Édouard Coupérie, in charge of the French show jumping team since 2025, has emphasised the value of qualifying early, noting the persistent challenge of retaining top horses before they are sold abroad.
The ideal would obviously be to qualify early, especially to try to have horses and keep them. We have this problem, our horses leave very quickly, and I would really like to set up a system, after the Worlds, to keep our horses a bit longer.
Show jumping squad
The French show jumping team will field Julien Épaillard (riding Fringan de Vesquerie), Antoine Ermann (Floyd des Prés), Nina Mallevaey (Dynastie de Beaufour) and Olivier Perreau (Dorai d'Aiguilly), with Kevin Staut (Exquis RB) serving as reserve. Ermann, 24, and Mallevaey, 26, represent the younger generation of French talent; Mallevaey is currently the top-ranked French rider and sits 7th in the world rankings. Notably absent is Simon Delestre, a former world number one and Paris 2024 team bronze medalist, who has not fully recovered from a heavy fall that required shoulder surgery.
I think we have a chance to do well. The Olympics, I inevitably think about it even if it's too far away to make a plan, so many things can happen in a year and a half.
Dressage and eventing selections
In dressage, Pauline Basquin (riding Sertorius de Rima Z*IFCE) and Alizée Roussel (Bel Amour) have been selected for the French team. Both riders hail from Maine-et-Loire and will compete in what is widely regarded as a temple of equestrian sport. The eventing collective includes Nicolas Touzaint, Astier Nicolas, Alexis Goury, Gaspard Maksud and Benjamin Massié. Touzaint has described Aix-la-Chapelle as "the Mecca of equestrianism," a venue that previously hosted the World Equestrian Games in 2006.
What lies ahead
France will begin its campaign on Tuesday, August 11, with the dressage events opening the programme. The show jumping team, blending Paris 2024 medalists with emerging talent, will wait until the second week for its competitions. Success in Aachen would allow France to validate its Olympic tickets early, giving the federation time to manage horse retention and build toward the Los Angeles Games in the summer of 2028.
