Team Great Britain - (L-R) Mark Edwards, Jack Whitaker, Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard, Adrian Whiteway and Tim Gredley - winners of the Longines League of Nations™ Saint-Tropez - Gassin 2025 © FEI/Martin Dokoupil

09.09.2026

The temperature is set to rise on the French Riviera when the Longines League of Nations™ returns to St Tropez-Gassin (FRA) on 20 September for the fourth and final qualifier of the 2026 season.

For the second year, the picturesque Haras de Gassin will host one of the most important days of the campaign. Beyond the glamour of the glittering coast, the stakes could scarcely be higher, with 10 nations chasing eight coveted places in next month’s Longines League of Nations™ Final in Barcelona (ESP).

Some arrive with their qualification already secured, while others face one last chance to keep their season alive. Leading the way are Germany, who sit at the top of the standings on 230 points and head to the Riviera with their Barcelona ticket safely in hand.

Runners-up to France in Abu Dhabi (UAE), Otto Becker’s side stormed to victory in Ocala (USA) before a rare early exit in Rotterdam (NED). Any disappointment from that result was emphatically erased in Aachen (GER), where Germany claimed Team gold at the FEI Jumping World Championship in August.

Two members of that title-winning team, Marcus Ehning and Richard Vogel, have been called up alongside Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Maximilian Weishaupt. Vogel has since climbed to world number one for the first time in his career and heads into the final qualifier in spectacular form.

Great Britain arrive riding a wave of success. The defending Longines League of Nations™ champions produced a remarkable comeback to win the penultimate qualifier in Rotterdam after a three-way jump-off against the United States and Switzerland. They also have fond memories of the French Riviera, having won the inaugural event at the venue in 2025, and will be looking to repeat that success this time around.

Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard has named Scott Brash, Harry Charles, Ben Maher and Matthew Sampson. Brash, Charles and Maher all helped Great Britain claim Team bronze in Aachen, where Charles also secured Individual bronze. Brash and Maher now sit third and sixth respectively on the Longines Rankings, adding further firepower to a British side bidding for another victory under the French sun.

Ireland remain well placed in third after finishing second in Ocala and sixth in Rotterdam, but with the standings tightly packed behind them, there is little room to relax.

Siblings Shane and Trevor Breen, Mark McAuley and Billy Twomey will carry the Irish hopes for the final qualifier as they look to turn their strong position into a place in Barcelona.

Switzerland sit level with France on 190 points and will take confidence from their third-place finish in Rotterdam. Martin Fuchs, who produced a decisive double clear there, is joined by Alain Jufer, Barbara Schnieper and Janika Sprunger as the Swiss hope to secure their place in the Final.

For France, the season has already had its share of highs and lows. Edouard Couperie’s side opened in style with victory in Abu Dhabi before finishing 10th in Rotterdam after failing to advance to Round 2. Now, back on home soil with the Côte d’Azur providing the backdrop, Les Bleus have the chance to reignite their campaign in front of a French crowd and book their place in Barcelona.

Simon Delestre, Julien Epaillard, Antoine Ermann and Nina Mallevaey have been selected for the home side, giving France plenty of quality as they hope to make the most of home advantage.

Brazil sit sixth on 180 points and bring a strong quartet of João Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes de Lima, Stephan de Freitas Barcha, Pedro Junqueira Muylaert and Marlon Modolo Zanotelli. With the cut line only 15 points behind them, they will be looking to protect their position or climb higher.

Only five points shy of Brazil, the United States occupy seventh place following an impressive runner-up finish in Rotterdam, where victory escaped Robert Ridland’s team by just 0.07 seconds in the jump-off.

Laura Kraut, Mckayla Langmeier, Paris Sellon and Kristen Vanderveen have been called up for St Tropez-Gassin, with Langmeier, Sellon and Vanderveen all set to make their Longines League of Nations™ debuts.

It is below them, however, where the temperature really begins to rise.

Belgium currently occupy the eighth and final qualifying position on 165 points, with almost no breathing room between them and the chasing pack. Niels Bruynseels, Jérôme Guery, Abdel Saïd and Jos Verlooy are among those set to fly the Belgian flag, with Saïd part of the squad that secured Team silver in Aachen.

Their campaign has already included a podium finish in Ocala, but ninth place in the season opener and eighth in Rotterdam has left the door wide open for those immediately behind them.

Italy are just five points adrift on 160 and have every reason to fancy their chances of climbing into the coveted top eight. They finished fourth in Rotterdam and were runners-up when the series made its debut at Haras de Gassin last year.

Piergiorgio Bucci, Emanuele Camilli and Emanuele Gaudiano feature in the line-up, with Bucci bringing strong form after finishing fourth individually at the FEI Jumping World Championship. Giampiero Garofalo has also received the call-up and is set to make his Longines League of Nations™ debut.

Another five points back, the Netherlands remain in the hunt on 155 after finishing fifth on home soil in Rotterdam.

Bas Moerings, Sanne Thijssen and Maikel van der Vleuten are joined by debutant Arne van Heel, with the Dutch knowing a big result could yet lift them above the qualification line and into Barcelona.

With Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands separated by only 10 points, the hottest seats on the Riviera may have little to do with the sunshine. A single placing could prove the difference between continuing the season in Spain and seeing the road to the Final end on French soil.

The 2026 campaign has already seen France triumph in Abu Dhabi, Germany take the honours in Ocala and Great Britain prevail in Rotterdam, meaning no nation has yet managed to win twice.

Now the series returns to the spectacular Haras de Gassin, where the pressure of qualification meets the unmistakable flair of the French Riviera for one final showdown.

By the time the last combination crosses the Longines beam, the qualification picture will be complete and the eight nations heading to Barcelona will finally be known.

The Riviera may bring the sunshine and glamour, but on 20 September the heat will come from the arena. St Tropez-Gassin is set to sizzle, and for two nations the road to Barcelona will end here.