FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026 - Tickets, schedule and background information
August 2026? Off to the World Cup in Aachen!
Logo of the 2026 World Championships in dressage, show jumping, eventing; para-dressage, vaulting and driving in Aachen. View of the stadium from the stands in the Soers. 
Who will win the titles at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen? A total of more than 150 medals are waiting to hang around the necks of riders, drivers and vaulters. For 13 days, the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ALRV) will be hosting the World Championships at the Aachen Soers, the annual venue of the CHIO Aachen.
In the first of the almost two weeks, the big stage belongs to dressage, eventing and the vaulters. On Monday, August 17th, the stables will be cleared, cleaned and re-covered for the participants of the second week. Then the show jumping, driving and para-dressage competitions will be on the program of the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026.
How do I get tickets for the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026?
Aachen offers more space than any other venue in the equestrian sector. The stadium in the Soers alone can accommodate 40,000 people. After tickets went on sale, there was a run on tickets in the summer of 2025. However, not all competitions are sold out yet. However, there are already no seats available for highlights such as the dressage freestyle under floodlights in the large stadium.
Admission to the para-dressage competitions, which are held in the dressage stadium, is free. You only need to purchase a “Village ticket” to get onto the show grounds at all Tickets can be conveniently selected and booked online. Tickets can also be purchased by telephone on +49-241-9171111 or at the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein office. An overview of the ticket prices can be found here:
Book accommodation in good time
A tip: Experience shows that hotels in the greater Aachen area are booked up early. You should take advantage of the border triangle on booking portals: Accommodation can be found both in the Netherlands and in neighboring Belgium. Please note, a tip from personal experience: in many Dutch towns and villages, parking is charged from 7 a.m. onwards. If you let it get to you, you may have to pay hefty bills. It is therefore advisable to take a look at the parking situation when choosing your accommodation. As a general rule, you should allow for a 30-minute drive, plus the obligatory traffic jams when leaving one of the various highways.
Finally, this note: Unfortunately, we have to keep dogs outside. They are not allowed to enter the grounds in Aachen.
Dressage: Who will be world champion?
The path to the dressage medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026 leads through three competitions. The Grand Prix, which will take place over two days (August 11th/12th), is about the team medal as well as the qualification for the Grand Prix Special, which will take place on Friday, August 14th. Here, the 30 best pairs from the Grand Prix will compete for the first individual medal at the WEG Aachen 2026. In addition, the 18 (15??) best combinations will qualify for the Freestyle. This will take place under floodlights on Saturday evening, August 15th, in Aachen.
Did you know? Aachen was a pioneer in floodlight freestyle
In 2006, the World Equestrian Games Aachen, then still known as the “World Equestrian Games”, took place in Aachen. For the first time, the idea arose of literally putting equestrian sport in a new light. Floodlight masts were installed for this purpose in 2005. Many riders found the idea hair-raising at the time – the shadows cast, the glare … Today it is standard. A total of 299 floodlights illuminate the action at the Soers from a height of 45 or 49 meters.
After winning the 2025 European Championships in Crozet, France, the Germans are among the favorites at the start. However, a home victory could be thwarted by both the British and the Danes. The US dressage sport is in a state of upheaval. Horses have been sold to the USA for a lot of money – a podium place could be possible for the team. The defending champion is the British rider Charlotte, “Lottie”, Fry, who won both the Grand Prix Special and the Freestyle with the stallion Glamourdale in Herning in 2022. The greatest success of the pair’s career to date.
Michael Jung and Chipmunk – World Champion Eventing after their Olympic victory?
There is still some time to go before the first horse leaves the starting box after the countdown and sets off on the cross-country course. Who will be competing for defending champions Germany will be decided a few weeks before August 13th. This Thursday marks the start of the eventing at the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026. After two days of dressage (August 16th/17th), which will take place in Stadium 2, which is reserved for the riders in the second week, the cross-country will begin on Saturday. Eventing has been an integral part of the CHIO Aachen since 2006. At that time, an cross-country course was created. This has now been supplemented for the 2026 World Championships, so that the competitors will certainly also have to negotiate the classic Aachen elements such as the two water obstacles, the Normandie Wall (Normandie Bank) or the two hills on the north-west side of the arena. But also over completely new paths. After the conformation test on Sunday morning, a “must have” for eventing fans and all those who want to become one, the jumping competition will be decided on Sunday, August 16th.
The Germans are among the medal candidates, and if Michael Jung has his chipmunk fit, the Olympic champions could ensure Jung’s second individual title at the World Championships in front of a home crowd. In 2010, the man from Baden-Württemberg won individual gold in Kentucky with the unforgettable Sam.
Here it goes round! Guaranteed atmosphere at the World Vaulting Championships
Deafening applause, breakneck acrobatics and a four-legged athlete who doesn’t lose his cool or his rhythm: the vaulters will be rocking Stadium 3 from August 13-16. Behind this is the dressage stadium. It offers space for a total of 6,300 spectators. Medals will be awarded in four categories plus an additional Nations Cup classification. Competing are: Men, Ladies, Groups and Pas de Deux. The first two days are reserved for compulsory and technical competition. Medals will be awarded on Saturday (ladies’, men’s and groups’ freestyle) and Sunday (Pas de Deux and Nations Cup).
Why is “nothing” happening on Monday at the World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026?
Monday is a rest day – a deceptive term. The horses from the first week’s disciplines will leave on Sunday at the latest. Now the team of helpers in Aachen have to muck out and disinfect the boxes and prepare them for the four-legged athletes of week two. The dressage arena has already disappeared – it will be dismantled on Saturday night, when the national anthem has faded away and the last horse has left the lap of honor. After all, the eventing riders have their grand finale in the main stadium on Sunday, the show jumping.
The obstacle material for the World Show Jumping Championships will then be the focus of interest for the 40,000 spectators who have a seat from Tuesday, August 18.
Jumping at the World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026: five courses to the World Championship title
A moderated warm-up show jumping session heralds the start of the second week in the large stadium and thus the show jumping competitions. On Tuesday, August 18th, all participants, regardless of whether they are part of a team or representing their nation as an individual starter, will have the opportunity to show their horse the sacred turf in the Soers. The arena is 150 by 120 meters in size. And it is grass-green, meaning that the world champion in show jumping is sought on grass. That hasn’t happened for a long time. Whether it was at the Kentucky Horse Park (USA) in 2010, the soccer stadiums in Caen (FRA) and Herning (DEN) in 2014 and 2022 or the World Equestrian Games in Tryon (USA) – it was always ridden on sand. This is the preferred surface. Precisely because more and more top international horses are being ridden barehoof, the World Championships on Turf in Aachen could have a few surprises in store. There are three qualifying classes, with a total of five courses.
On Wednesday, August 19, the time jumping competition will take place, which also qualifies for the team and individual rankings. The time difference in seconds to the winning ride is divided by two and converted into a decimal number. The winner of the time trial will then go into the next competition with the ideal score of 0.0.
A total of over 100 pairs will be competing for the World Championship title. Thursday, August 20, is reserved for the first round of the Nations Cup. The team decision will then be made on Friday, August 21 under floodlights. The defending champions are the Swedes. In show jumping, however, the decisions are closer than close. In this respect, you could probably easily name two handfuls of teams that might not win the title, but would be likely to finish on the podium.
How do you become individual world champion in show jumping?
For not quite half of those who traveled to Aachen full of hope, the journey is over after the Nations’ Cup. The 60 best combinations qualify for the final. The horses have a day’s rest. On the afternoon of August 23rd, it will then be clear who will leave the Soers as World Show Jumping Champion. Two courses have to be completed on this final Sunday. The top 20 will be eligible for the final round, the second round. In 2022, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward left the final decision as the winner.
Why are there other show jumping competitions at the WEG Aachen 2026?
In addition to the World Championship starting field, there will be other, on average much younger riders on the course. It is a special feature of this World Championships: on the one hand, the final of the U25 Jumping Cup will be held at the same time as the World Championships at the Soers. The program also includes international youth competitions. In other words, the big stage for those who (still) dream of competing at a World Equestrian Games.
The World Show Jumping Championships are particularly important for the Swiss team: the Swiss have not yet qualified for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. This is despite the many successes of their two top athletes, Steve Guerdat, runner-up at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Martin Fuchs, who has consistently been among the top five in the world rankings in recent years. A good placing in the team competition, preferably only behind teams that have already secured their ticket for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, is therefore a top priority for the team from Switzerland.
Why there are so many medals in para-dressage
The riders with disabilities populate the dressage stadium in the second week. No fewer than eleven sets of medals will be awarded in the para-dressage. It all starts on August 19. Medals are already up for grabs on the opening day in the grade IV and V individual tests. Para riders are classified into grades depending on the extent of their physical impairment. Grade I has the most severe handicaps, here only walk is ridden. All basic gaits and lessons at medium (M) level are required in Grade V. Medals are awarded in the individual and freestyle competitions in all grades. Three results from participants from different levels are added together for the team decision. The freestyle on Sunday, August 23, is the highlight.
Off the beaten track – the four-in-hand elite compete in driving
The FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026 will not only involve people in the saddle (or, see vaulting, bareback) on horseback. New world champions will also be sought in driving. In contrast to the Olympic disciplines, the World Championships for four-in-hand drivers take place every two years. If you want to be on the podium, you have to impress in three disciplines. In the dressage (Thursday, August 20 and Friday, August 21), on Saturday in the cross-country – “marathon” as this central second part is officially called – and finally in the cones driving, the third competition on Sunday, August 23. The marathon will take place on the cross-country course, all other decisions will be held in Stadium 2. Just like at any other CHIO.
The entire city of Aachen under the sign of the 2026 World Equestrian Games
Aachen is a city with a rich history. Charlemagne will undoubtedly be present on the course in one way or another this time too. But Aachen can also look back on a great tradition when it comes to horse shows. It is not without pride that the organizers point out that the CHIO Aachen is Germany’s largest sporting event with 650,000 visitors. Not only the ALRV, the whole of Aachen “can do horse shows”. Pronounced “Tschio” in the Öscher (Aachen) dialect, the CHIO is part of the DNA of the imperial city. That is why resourceful people in Aachen’s city administration have already come up with some ideas to accompany the FEI World Equestrian Games Aachen 2026. Large public viewing areas in the city center, for example, or oversized chess pieces and much more.
And because sporting events should always be sustainable, it is already clear that para-dressage will have a permanent place at the CHIO in the future. The first winners have already been decided long before the first World Championship horses arrive.
Everything you need to know about the World Championships in Aachen can be found here.
