What a Season! The Road to the Barcelona Final

Looking back on the 2024 series...

The inaugural Longines League of Nations™ Final is set to be a thriller when it takes centre stage at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain on October 6 with eight of the world’s best teams vying for their place in history.

There was much speculation when the long-established Nations Cup Jumping format was altered for the new series which got underway in early 2024. However, at the end of this first season, it has proven a big winner with fans, who have been kept on the edges of their seats as the action played out.

The three-per-team format with all scores counting in the second round has ratcheted up the tension and excitement like never before!

10 teams made the cut for the inaugural Longines League of Nations™ season having secured enough qualification points during the previous months. Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA would go on to qualify for Barcelona, with Belgium and Great Britain missing out.

Stole the show

It was Team Germany who stole the show at the opening leg of the series in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in February. Here, the top 10 ranked nations set out on in their quest to qualify amongst the best eight and thereby make the cut into the Barcelona finale.

The Germans pipped the Irish, who were ranked first in the world as the year began but who had to settle for runner-up spot ahead of Sweden in third.

“It’s a super start to the Olympic season and I’m very proud of my four riders!”, said German Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker. And that proved quite prophetic because one member of his side, Christian Kukuk, would go on to clinch individual gold in Paris six months later.

The Irish had their revenge when coming out on top at the second leg in Ocala, USA in March where they pinned Switzerland into second place ahead of USA in third. This was another mighty battle in which the new three-per-team in the second-round format ensured another gripping finish.

Last Irishman into the ring, Cian O’Connor had not jumped the first round and a fence down would have led to a jump-off with the Swiss, but with just a single time fault he clinched it.

In the balance

The third leg, scheduled to take place in St Gallen, Switzerland in June, was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Qualification was therefore still very much hanging in the balance at the final leg in Rotterdam later that month where Team France came out on top.

In a super-tight contest, Simon Delestre, Julien Epaillard, Kevin Staut and Olivier Perreau produced seven flawless performances for victory over Sweden in second and Great Britain in third.

However, it was all too late for the British at this stage in the series as, along with Belgium, they failed to qualify for the Final just a few weeks before Great Britain went on to win Team gold in Paris.

Live coverage

FEI TV will be showcasing its fantastic equestrian coverage by broadcasting the first-ever Longines League of Nations™ Final for free.

Everyone can tune into the action from Barcelona on Sunday as the finalists attempt to make history by winning the 2024 season finale. The stream will start at 13:20 local time (CEST) with the pre-programme, including coverage of the parade. The competition is scheduled to start at 14:00, with English language commentary from Phil Ghazala and former European Jumping champion Jessica Kürten.

As the final is being broadcast for free, no FEI TV membership or registration is required. The livestream will be free and available to anyone when streaming full screen on the web and mobile web version, however the FEI TV mobile app remains for premium users only.