France Claims Victory in Abu Dhabi as the FEI Longines League of Nations 2026 Gets Underway
The 2026 season of the FEI Longines League of Nations officially got underway yesterday, Friday 13 February, in Abu Dhabi, with an opening leg that brought together the ten highest-ranked nations in the world, alongside host nation United Arab Emirates. A particularly delicate start to the series, set within an already pivotal season leading toward major international appointments, first and foremost the World Championships.
France claimed the first victory of the circuit, finishing on a total score of eight penalties. Among the decisive performances were Olivier Perreau’s double clear round with Dorai d’Aiguilly, as well as the solid contributions from the other combinations selected by chef d’équipe Édouard Coupérie: Jeanne Sadran with Dexter de Kerglenn, Nicolas Sers with Eleven de Riverland, and Simon Delestre with Golden Boy DK.
Simon Delestre with Golden Boy DK
At the conclusion of the competition, Coupérie highlighted the importance of this opening leg:
“We are very happy. The competition ran extremely smoothly and the organisation was truly exceptional. The idea was to start the year well, and we achieved that. I am very pleased with the performances of our riders.”
The French coach then underlined the value of each individual contribution:
“Olivier delivered a superb double clear with Dorai, who jumped extremely well. Thanks also to Jeanne for a very good first-round performance. Simon is accustomed to this format, while his horse was competing in its first Nations Cup: despite touching a fence in the second round, Golden Boy really rose to the occasion. Nicolas, making his team debut, produced a very good competition. It is important to be able to test new horses, especially in a year of such significance.”
Germany finished in second place with twelve penalties, thanks to the performances of Daniel Deusser with Pepita van’t Meulenhof BR, Jörne Sprehe with Toys, Sophie Hinners with Lommers, and Marco Kutscher with Catelly. Third place went to Brazil, also on twelve penalties, represented by Pedro Junqueira Muylaert riding Gemme Villers, Joao Victor Castro Aguiar Gomes De Lima with Cashpaid J&F, Luiz Felipe Neto de Azevedo with Pandora Boy Z, and Luciana Diniz with Vertigo du Desert LLN abu dhabi.
Unfortunately, Italy delivered a less convincing performance, failing to qualify for the second round and finishing ninth overall. The best Italian result came from Piergiorgio Bucci with Hantano, who produced a clear round in the first phase. Also on the team were Giacomo Casadei with Marbella du Chabli, Paolo Paini with Casal Dorato, and Clara Pezzoli with Fantasia de Beaufour LLN abu dhabi.
The Longines League of Nations 2026 will continue with three further qualifying legs before the grand final:
- Ocala, Florida (USA) – 17–22 March 2026
- Rotterdam (NED) – 18–21 June 2026
- Gassin – St. Tropez (FRA) – 16–20 September 2026
Final: Barcelona (ESP) – 1–4 October 2026
An opening to the season that confirms the exceptionally high standard of the series and immediately reignites the race toward the year’s major objectives.
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