The definite list of entries for the 45^th edition of the Longines FEI World Cup Final, which will take place April 3-6 in Basel, Switzerland, has been confirmed. Forty-two athletes from 23 countries will line up alongside 51 horses to decide who will be crowned the World Cup champion.

Defending champion Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden won with King Edward in both 2023 and 2024, though this year he’ll be bringing Iliana and Toveks Azario Dinero instead. Von Eckermann returns this year in a bid to emulate the five athletes that have won this title three times apiece: Austria’s Hugo Simon, Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat. If Von Eckermann claims victory in Basel, he would join Pessoa in becoming the only two athletes to have taken the title in three consecutive years.

In the North America League qualification, seven spots are available to those in the East USA standings, three to those in the West USA standings, two to Canada and two for Mexico.

Despite topping the league’s standings and winning two qualifiers, world No. 2 Kent Farrington will not compete in Basel.

“I don’t think that will suit me as I have a heavy outdoor schedule leading up to there,” said Farrington, 44. “To go right on the heels of [the Winter Equestrian Festival (Florida)] the week after the [$750,000 Rolex US Equestrian Open Grand Prix]  in Wellington to go from that much outdoor showing to an indoor immediately after, I don’t think I’m in a position where I’d be confident enough to contend for a win.”

Previous winner McLain Ward decided to skip this one too, so two of the seven qualification places pass down the line but only six will be taken up in Basel. Kristen Vanderveen, Alise Oken, Lillie Keenan, Laura Kraut, McKayla Langmeier and Katie Dinan will head to Switzerland from the East USA rankings list.

The three qualification spots allocated to West USA were won by Kaitlin Campbell, Karl Cook and Skylar Wireman. Cook and Wireman turned down their invitations, so they will be replaced with Shawn Casady and Alessandra Volpi who will head to the final alongside Campbell.

Erynn Ballard and Tiffany Foster secured the two qualification spots allocated to Canada via the North American League, but neither will compete in Basel. Similarly Mexicans Alejandro Mills and Miguel Maron Kahwagi earned the two spots for their country at Basel but have declined to go.

Ireland’s Daniel Coyle, who competes in the North American League, qualified as an “extra athlete” in the North American League (East USA). In order to qualify as an extra athlete, he was required to have obtained at least as many points as the last qualified East USA athlete. Coyle’s compatriots, Darragh Kenny and Shane Sweetnam, as well as Israel’s Daniel Bluman, were also eligible for qualification via the extra athlete system through the League but have elected not to compete in Basel.

In the Western European League, 18 qualifying spots were on offer and competition to secure one of these was as fierce as ever. France’s Kevin Staut headed the league early in the season, and maintained this position until the end. Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher finished second in the league, despite not contesting the last three qualifying legs, and will hope to improve on his fifth place from the 2024 World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Belgium’s Pieter Devos secured the third qualifying spot for Basel’s Final and he’ll compete with Casual DV Z. Great Britain’s Robert Whitaker finished in fourth position in the league and bids to emulate his father John, winner of back-to-back World Cup Finals in Dortmund in 1990 and in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1991 with the great Milton. Austria’s Max Kühner, France’s Julien Epaillard and Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet filled the next three positions in the standings, and line up again in Basel having finished in seventh, second and 10th positions, respectively, in last year’s final in Riyadh.

Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten secured qualification by finishing eighth in the Western European League and he’ll bring Beauville Z N.O.P., and France’s Julien Anquetin finished ninth in the Western European League and also confirms his attendance in Basel.

Former champions Martin Fuchs of Switzerland and Ehning of Germany qualified as 10th and 11th in the Western European League. Winner of the 2022 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final (Germany), Fuchs, competing at a World Cup Final on home soil for the first time, will vie to join an illustrious list of athletes who have won multiple World Cup Finals. Ehning is one of those athletes and will try to make history as the first athlete to take the coveted title for a fourth time.

Ehning’s compatriot, Sophie Hinners, makes her World Cup debut following an impressive first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup season in which she made history by becoming the first female athlete to win Verona’s qualifying leg. She finished in 12th position in the league and takes her place in the Final.

Triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain took 13th place in the league and heads to Basel hungry to add “World Cup Champion” to his illustrious list of accolades. Germany’s Mario Stevens confirms his attendance in Basel having finished in 14th ahead of Dutch rider Willem Greve, who also will attend.

Germany’s Richard Vogel stamped his authority on the league when winning two qualifiers and he heads to Basel with United Touch S.

Swiss rider Edouard Schmitz will head to Basel after taking 17th place in the Western European League. Having finished in 18th position, his compatriot Olympic and European individual gold medalist Guerdat was set to head to Basel as well, but a back injury requiring immediate surgery means Guerdat will have to sit out this season’s Final. The Netherlands’ Kim Emmen will take his spot.

The three athletes that topped the Arab League—Middle East fill the three qualifying spots on offer. London Olympic team bronze medalist Ramzy Al Duhami of Saudi Arabia topped the league and lines up in Basel alongside Kuwait’s Ali Al Khorafi and Paris Olympian Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi.

The Arab League—North Africa will be represented by Egypt’s Zain Shady Samir, who qualified from the league as second sub as a result of the top two athletes, Morocco’s Sami Cherkaoui and Abdelkebir Ouaddar, electing not to contest Basel.

The Central European League was hotly contested with 81 athletes contesting the Northern Sub-League, and 45 contesting the Southern equivalent. After completion of the two sub-leagues, athletes qualify to compete in the Central European League Final. From here, the top three placed athletes qualify to compete in the final. Czech Republic’s Ales Opatrny, Hungary’s Vince Jarmy and Romania’s Andrea Herck made up the top three following the League Final and take up their qualifying spots in Basel next month.

Twenty athletes fought for a qualifying place within the Eurasian League, and it was Kyrgystan’s Valeria Sokolova who secured the coveted qualification for Central Asia to contest her first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final. Shalva Gachechiladze topped the Eurasian League—Caucasus Caspian region and also lines up in Basel.

Takamichi Mashiyama topped the Japan League, taking the sole qualifying spot and has confirmed his participation in Basel.

Two qualification spots were on offer in the Australian League. These were won by Billy Raymont and Samuel Overton, but neither athlete nor the league sub Gemma Greighton will compete in Basel, so the Australian League will not be represented at this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final.

The New Zealand League was closely contested, with Julie Davey and Luke Dee both amassing 63 points across the four qualifying legs, and Sophie Scott just one point behind on 62. With two wins to Dee’s one, Davey headed the league but elected not to travel to Europe for the final. With only one place on offer in the league, the qualifying spot passed down to Dee who has seized the opportunity to contest his first FEI Jumping World Cup Final.

The South African League saw qualification for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final secured during the 2023/2024 season. Bronwyn Meredith Dos Santos topped the league for that period and takes her place at the final in Basel next month.

In the South American South League, split only by their highest placings across the league, it was Argentina’s Lucrecia Cesaroni who was declared the league winner with Brazil’s Vitor Dantas Medeiros de Carvalho in second. Cesaroni will not take her place in Basel, so Dantas Medeiros de Carvalho will be the sole representative in Basel from the South American South League. 

The Definite Entries list for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final can be found here.