THE Aga Khan Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show will not be part of the new Longines League of Nations for the 2024-2027 seasons. The FEI Board confirmed the allocation of the four venues and final for the new league this week.

The Longines League of Nations (LLN) was created following a six-month consultation phase with a dedicated Task Force, set up to review and redefine the iconic Nations Cup series and included key equestrian stakeholders. It will replace the current Longines FEI Nations Cup series which takes place at 10 venues across the globe, including the final qualifier at the Dublin Horse Show.

The venues for the League of Nations for the 2023-2027 seasons will be Abu Dhabi (UAE), Ocala (USA), St Gallen (SUI), Rotterdam (NED), with the final taking place in Barcelona, Spain.

However, this does not signal the end of the famous Aga Khan at the Dublin Horse Show, which will celebrate 100 years in 2026. While not yet announced by the RDS, The Irish Field understands that the show will go in another direction next year, announcing a lucrative new sponsor, with the Aga Khan Nations Cup taking place, as usual, on Friday.

It is also understood that Dublin did not bid to be part of the new Longines League of Nations. Asked about the changes, a spokesperson for the RDS said: “2026 will see 100 years since the Aga Khan Trophy was first donated to the RDS by Aga Khan III. Since then, some of the best teams from around the world have competed for what has become one of the most famous and celebrated trophies in world show jumping. The RDS is very excited about the programme of events that it has planned in the years leading up to 2026 to celebrate the first century of the Aga Khan Trophy with top equestrian sport.”

A total of 18 bids were made for just five venues. The FEI have confirmed they will evaluate the new concept next season and will work towards adding a fifth qualifier – as originally announced – in the following seasons.

Hickstead

One iconic show that had hoped to continue to be part of the FEI series was Hickstead in England. A statement from the show’s executive director, Lizzie Bunn, said: “Hickstead has hosted a Nations Cup for nearly 50 years, and we are obviously hugely disappointed not to have been chosen as one of the host venues for the new series. However, there are only two qualifiers in total in Europe along with the Final, which remains in Barcelona. A total of 18 bids were made with just five venues selected globally.

“After a magnificent win in the Nations Cup and such a brilliant week of sport, we are still keen to host a Nations Cup at Hickstead. The difference is we now have the freedom to explore new opportunities. We are fortunate to have many loyal supporters, and the backing of our governing bodies and stakeholders has never been more vital. Our challenge now is that we have just weeks to make crucial decisions about the schedule for next year’s shows, and to secure a new sponsorship deal.”

Format

The new series will see the top 10 nations compete at four venues in order to qualify for a final where the best eight teams go head-to-head to be crowned the Longines League of Nations Champion.

The format will no longer have three divisions – European Division 1, Middle East and North and Central America and Carribean; instead, the ranking of the top 10 teams to compete in the league will be established based on the monthly Longines rankings published after the conclusion of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final 2023.

As from 2024, the Longines League of Nations ranking will be based upon the regular monthly Longines ranking that is published after the conclusion of the LLN Final of the respective season. The qualification ranking used for qualification for the LLN will be calculated based on the combined points of each National Federation’s six best athletes, of which at least one must be an Under 25 athlete on the Longines ranking.

From the 2025 LLN season onwards, the winner of the LLN Final of the preceding LLN season will be automatically qualified for the LLN of the following season regardless of that NF’s ranking in the relevant qualification ranking.

The format will consist of two rounds of jumping as usual, with all four athletes on the 10 teams jumping the first round with the best three scores to count. The best eight teams go forward to the second round where only three riders jump with no drop score.