Road to Riyadh – the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season 2023/2024 turns towards closing stages

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season 2023/2024 is turning towards its conclusion during February and March, with two legs left in the Arab League, while the North American League concludes in Ocala (USA) after the Western European League sees its final stop in Gothenburg (SWE) and the Central European League Final is held in Krakow (POL).

Qualifying through eleven Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Leagues and sub-leagues, jumped all across the globe, the best of the best will meet for the season final in the Saudi capital from April 16 to 20, 2024.

With the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Riyadh drawing closer, the list of riders qualified for the first ever FEI World Cup™ Final held in the region is yet to be finalized. However, with the top eighteen from the Western European League qualifying for the final, something can be said about those seemingly set to travel to Riyadh. The title defender, Sweden’s double World Champion, team European and Olympic Champion Henrik von Eckermann currently leads the Western European League with 75 points, followed by Great Britain’s Harry Charles and Ben Maher in second and third, while France’s Kevin Staut sits fourth with 70 points and Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat – the 2023 European Champion and 2012 Olympic Champion – holds rank five with 68 points.

On the edge of qualifying from the Western European League are those around the 30-point mark, with Germany’s Christian Ahlmann currently holding the 18th spot with 32 points, surrounded by Marcus Ehning below him and Robert Whitaker above – both only points apart. With the final points on offer in Gothenburg, Sweden, on February 21, those still looking to secure a ticket to Riyadh have some hope to hold on to. Historically, a collection of about 38 points throughout the 14 legs of the season has secured a qualification for the Final from the Western European League.

With one qualifier left in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ season 2023/2024 North American league, it is Ireland’s Daniel Coyle that holds the lead here with 63 points, followed by Israel’s Daniel Bluman in second with 43 points and Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam in third, only two points behind Bluman. The final qualifier of the 2023/2024 season in the North American League is set to take place in Ocala (USA) on March 13, with the fourteen top ranked riders from the North American League qualified for the Riyadh Final.

In the Central European League, Sara Vingralkova (CZE) leads the Northern Sub-League, while Angelos Touloupis (GRE) tops the Southern Sub-League ahead of the Central European Final in Krakow, Poland, set to take place in the end of February. With the qualifiers in Kuwait and Sharjah left for the 2023/2024 season, Khaled Almobty (KSA) leads the way in the Middle-East Sub League of the Arab League, while the North African Sub-League is currently topped by Egypt’s Mouda Zeyada.

Marking not only the first ever FEI World Cup™ Finals in the region, the participants in Riyadh will be competing for a total of 2.6 million Euros, a prize fund reaching the highest ever amount on offer throughout the history of the FEI World Cup™ Finals. From 16 to 20 April, the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center in the heart of the Saudi capital is set to welcome the best horses and riders in the world. As the qualifying leagues all around the globe reach their closing stages during the months of February and March, the riders and horses bound to discover the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – a nation with two Olympic medals in the discipline of jumping – will soon be known.

Watch this space as we follow the best of equestrian sports on their road to Riyadh.

FEI World Cup™ Finals Riyadh 2024

The 2024 FEI World Cup™ Finals for dressage and jumping are scheduled to be held April 16–20, 2024 in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event is set to be held at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center and will mark the conclusion of the 2023–24 Dressage and Jumping FEI World Cup™ Seasons. 

It will be the first time in history that the FEI World Cup™ Finals will be held on the Asian continent for Dressage and for the second time for Jumping after the finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2006. For both disciplines it will be the first time in the Middle East region.

riyadh2024.fei.org