Bologna, October 24, 2022 – The FEI has launched the bidding process for the FEI World Championships 2026 in all the FEI disciplines. The process begins today, 24 October 2022, and will end in June 2023 with the allocation of the Championships by the FEI Board. It will consist of the following four phases:
Phase 1: Expression of interest (24 October 2022)
Phase 2: Bidding (Mid-January – 14 April 2023)
Phase 3: Review of bids (Mid-April – 9 June 2023)
Phase 4: Allocation (June 2023)
The bidding process will start with a call for expressions of interest from National Federations and Organising Committees who would like to engage with open and non-binding discussions with the FEI regarding the potential submission of a bid. (Detailed information on each phase of the bidding process CLICK HERE). Expressions of interest should be sent to bidding@fei.org. The submission of an expression of interest is entirely optional and is not a pre-condition to National Federations/Organising Committees submitting a formal bid in Phase 2.
“The launch of the bidding process for the FEI World Championships 2026 is an important milestone,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
“This year we hosted hugely successful World Championships in Jumping, Dressage and Para Dressage, Vaulting, Eventing, and Driving. We were fortunate to work with very professional Organising Committees producing events of the highest order. The result proved popular with the athletes and National Federations. No less than 411 athletes and 340 horses representing 49 nations competed at the Ecco FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN) whereas 127 athletes and 274 horses from 29 NFs were represented at the FEI World Championships 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA).
“The events attracted worldwide interest with over 7’000 articles published in the international press. But the platforms where the Championships were perhaps the greatest hit were social media. The number of followers on the FEI’s social media channels grew by 42% compared to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018. Impressions and engagements were 56% and 97% up respectively whereas video views increased by a staggering 233%.
“This success gives us confidence that the new flexible approach is the best way forward.
“As was the case for the FEI World Championships 2022, bids will be accepted from National Federations and Organising Committees who are interested in hosting the FEI World Championships 2026 in one or more FEI disciplines. The FEI World Championships 2026 for Dressage and Para Dressage should remain combined. Bids for the full “FEI World Equestrian Games™” comprising all disciplines will also be considered.
“We look forward to interesting bids from many regions of the world and are available for any queries or clarifications all the entities considering a bid may have,” President De Vos concluded.
A detailed Bid Guide containing an overview of all the requirements/rights/benefits associated with hosting the FEI World Championships 2026 will be available as of mid-January 2023.