The International Equestrian Federation announced today that Saudi Arabia has been awarded the rights to host the FEI World championship 2026. The Kingdom’s successful bid was officially confirmed following a thorough evaluation of the proposal.

Saudi Arabia had submitted its bid to host the World Championships in September, with the Royal Commission of AlUla overseeing the event in collaboration with the Saudi Equestrians Federation. Saudi Arabia’s bid was welcomed by the community. This win joins the country’s growing list of successfully biding biding to host events.

The decision to host the FEI World Championships in AlUla reflects the spirit of equestrian sport and cultural heritage and underlines the close link between the rich Arab heritage and the progressive present that the Kingdom is actively cultivating. With this announcement, the International Equestrian Federation reaffirms its commitment to the development of equestrian sport, underlines its great passion for it and emphasizes the historical importance of the sport.

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to hosting major equestrian events demonstrates not only its sporting prowess, but also its desire to bridge the gap between the country’s rich cultural heritage and its forward-looking aspirations. Hosting the FEI World Equestrian Games is another milestone in the Kingdom’s journey to becoming a major center for international sporting events and represents an important step in the global equestrian landscape.

Al-Ula is an ancient Arabic oasis city in the Medina Province, located approximately 1000kms northwest from the Saudi capital Riyadh. It is a place of extraordinary beauty as well as rare human and natural heritage going back 200,000 years of largely unexplored human history. Al Ula, which is undergoing spectacular development as a nature, cultural, education and sporting centre, hosts the annual Fursan Endurance Cup, which attracts some 200 horses and riders from over 40 countries to each edition.

“The Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation and the Royal Commission for Al Ula have collaborated to secure this honourable hosting opportunity,”

“This responsibility weighs greatly upon us, and we are confident that Al Ula will deliver an authentic and unprecedented sporting experience within a unique and fascinating context. We are diligently preparing for an event of this calibre, aligning with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030,”

HH Prince Abdullah Bin Fahad Bin Abdullah Al Saud, President of Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, said.

We are proud to have been awarded the FEI Endurance World Championship 2026 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, at Al Ula,

Ziad Abdulrahman Al Suhaibani, Head of Sport Sector at the Royal Commission for Al Ula, declared.