I’ve attended 25 World Cup Finals since the first one held in the U.S. in 1980. Aside from a few special touches, most were like your average fancy European horse show, such as those staged when Volvo was the Cup sponsor in its home city of Gothenburg, Sweden. On the fun side, those finals were known for their fantastic flower arrangements that made it difficult to see some of the jumps. And then there was the indoor lake on the course at Dortmund, Germany, in 1990.
But the game changers that redefined the Cup competition were the glitzy finals complete with fireworks in Las Vegas. That wildly popular series debuted in 2000 and ran in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2015. Covid sadly cancelled the 2020 edition. It seems unlikely that Vegas, which put the dressage and show jumping Cups together for the first time, will be held again in the near future.
But now we can look forward to another innovative Longines FEI World Cup Finals, scheduled for April 8-12, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Derek Braun, whose Split Rock Jumping Tour is putting on the finals, promises iconic longhorn cattle will be part of the scene. Indeed, longhorns are driven through the stockyard in an exhibition twice daily. You can’t miss it. So polish up those cowboy boots and grab yourself a 10-gallon hat to fit right in.
A twice-daily cattle drive is a feature in Fort Worth. (Photo courtesy Dickies Arena)
“We’re going heavy with the Texas vibe, very western, very cowboy, very cow country-oriented. Which is what Fort Worth has to offer. I think it’s going to be a fun, cool, new exciting fresh take on it,” advised Derek, who noted accessibility of the massive Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport means the Cup destination is only one flight away from almost anywhere in the world.
With the 2024 Cup in Basel, Switzerland now behind us this month, it’s time to start making plans for next year’s dressage and show jumping finals. Fans already are buying tickets for the Fort Worth competition, to be held in the state-of-the-art Dickies Arena, adjacent to the Will Rogers Memorial Center.
Dickies Arena will host the 2026 Longines FEI World Cup Finals (Photo courtesy Dickies Arena)
Derek was in Basel to accept the hand-off of the Cup finals flag and look at the “inner workings” of the Swiss version of the Cup. There are quite a few differences between the 2025 and 2026 host sites and their offerings.
“Our schedule is a lot lighter than theirs was, they had another 3 star (show jumping) and vaulting. Their days were extremely long,” Derek observed.
Derek Braun accepts the Longines FEI World Cup flag in a hand-off at the end of the Basel show. .(FEI Photo)
“Our days are focused toward just the World Cup sessions. Footing is a major priority for me, we’ve already mixed our footing six months ago. Riders want to make sure the details are absolutely perfect for them.”
While Basel used tents for stabling and warm-up, everything at Fort Worth is permanent.
The interior of Dickies Arena. (Photo courtesy of Dickies Arena)
As Derek pointed out, “there are not many comparable arenas worldwide to Dickies, there’s not a bad seat in the house.” There will be 9,500 of them for the Cup finals. VIP space is limited, so early purchase of tickets is urged. They are available separately for the dressage sessions, jumping sessions and all sessions. Tickets are available at https://www.fortworth2026.com/tickets. VIP reservations can be made at VIP Reservations.
Although Derek’s management resume does not include a dressage show, he’s educated on the details required. But he emphasized that discipline will be guided by Thomas Baur, the German who runs the Adequan Global Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.
Speaking about Dickies, Thomas said, “I think it’s probably the best venue for a World Cup I’ve seen in this country. There is enough space; for the horses, it will be easily accessible. The plan is to have a vendor and action area between the main ring and the last warm-up ring, so I think that will be great for the spectators. I was there in December and there are a lot of nice restaurants and hotels close by.”
In Fort Worth, he notes, there are “a lot of things to do for people who want to come to the World Cup. It’s absolutely fun.”
Derek is hoping qualifying participation will go “through the roof.” He called the new venue, “A little bit of an ode to the old Las Vegas World Cup finals days, when people got really excited to go to Las Vegas for everything they have to offer. Fort Worth is just as exciting of a town as Vegas, in different ways.
“There’s going to be a lot of activities, the whole town is really going to embrace it and people are going to be able to make a four- or five-day vacation out of this championship.”
Derek explained “the city is a major partner of ours for the final. The entire city is going to be laying out the red carpet. Everyone will be connected city-wide for this final, the restaurants and businesses.”
Two clinics, one each on jumping and dressage, will be presented by professionals from the top 10 lists in their disciplines, who are yet to be selected.
It’s not all clear sailing, however.
“In the state of Texas, we are battling a little bit against the FIFA World Cup (soccer) finals and differentiating between the two,” Derek mentioned.
The 2026 FIFA matches will be held in Dallas Stadium during June and July; thus there is potential for public confusion, even though the Longines FEI World Cup is two months earlier.
“We don’t have major (show jumping and dressage) events in Texas, we were the first ever FEI event in the state four years ago,” Derek said.
So Cup organizers are launching “a year-long strategy on promotion and education of what this is. When people see an ad or image,” he observed, “they understand what it is and the magnitude behind it. FEI and USEF are helping make a big push to advertise the World Cup League.”
The crowded equestrian calendar has another major competition in 2026, when world championships in dressage and jumping (as well as several other disciplines) are being held during August in Aachen, Germany.
“I’m hoping it doesn’t affect us negatively; it’s something I’ve thought about,” Derek said.
“Texas is such a new and incredible draw that I think we’ll stand on our own. It’s far enough away from the world championships that it will be a good stepping stone for them (championship contenders) and their horses.”
In terms of both participants and spectators, Derek believes going west is a draw, especially for people from other parts of the world.
“I think people are really intrigued by the culture. They really want to experience it; they know it’s going to be new, cool and different. Any time there’s a scenario like that, it always intrigues riders from everywhere. We’re going to make sure we let every rider experience the true Texas culture.”
At the same time, he added, “I think participation for people competing from North America will be through the roof.”
For more information about the finals, go to https://www.fortworth2026.com/.
