Barcelona: Germany Takes the Title in a Second Consecutive Jump-Off

Richard Vogel knocked Germany’s lead down and then went back out and won it back. That is the short version of a Final that, for the second year running, could not be settled inside regulation.

Germany added the Longines League of Nations 2026 title to the World Championship crown they won at Aachen in August, beating Brazil in a jump-off at the Real Club de Polo. Otto Becker’s team of Vogel on Cloudio, Jörne Sprehe with Toys, Sophie Hinners riding Iron Dames my Prins and Marcus Ehning on Coolio 42 completed the double. The United States finished fourth.

How it got there

The Final’s format is the thing that makes it different from other formats: All teams return for Round 2, only three athletes jump, and there is no drop score. This means that every round counts, and there is nowhere to hide a mistake.

Santiago Varela’s predecessors have made Barcelona difficult before, and this year’s opening round produced only 12 clears. Faults came throughout the course and the field separated quickly, with Germany leading going into the closing stages. Vogel and Cloudio were the final combination of Round 2, and the rail they lowered left Germany level with Brazil on four penalties.

In the jump-off, Rodrigo Pessoa and Major Tom went first and knocked the opening fence, before Vogel returned and went clear in 40.85 to seal it.

Why Do it Once When You Can Do it Twice?

Vogel has now done this twice. His clear with United Touch S secured Germany’s 2024 Barcelona title against the Netherlands’ anchor Harrie Smolders, and his clear with Cloudio secured the 2026 one against Brazil. Becker has twice put the championship on his fourth rider and twice been right.

Becker’s own summary, that winning the League of Nations again after the World Championship in Aachen is a great feeling, is understated to the point of comedy given what his year has looked like. Germany have won the World Championship team title, the League of Nations, two Rolex Grand Slam Majors through Vogel, and the Ocala qualifying leg in March.

Pessoa’s runner-up finish carried genuine weight. He made his Olympic debut at this venue in 1992, finishing ninth individually, and has now been second in Barcelona twice. Brazil have been quietly building through this series for two seasons, returning to it at Rotterdam in June with Pessoa, Marlon Modolo Zanotelli, Yuri Mansur and Eduardo Pereira de Menezes. A League of Nations Final jump-off is a reasonable return on that.

The Qualifying Season

Four legs decided the Barcelona field. Germany won at Ocala in March, Great Britain took Rotterdam in June in a three-way jump-off against the USA and Switzerland, and France closed the campaign with victory at St Tropez-Gassin on 20 September.

That French win is worth its own piece. Edouard Couperie’s quartet of Nina Mallevaey on Destine to Be, Antoine Ermann with Floyd des Pres, Simon Delestre riding Gatsby du Tillard and Julien Epaillard aboard Donatello d’Auge finished on four penalties over a Grégory Bodo track of 12 obstacles and 15 jumping efforts at 1.60m, with a 75-second time allowed, which produced only 14 clear rounds in the opening round. Switzerland and the Netherlands missed the Barcelona cut on 225 and 195 points respectively.

The British Week

Jessica Mendoza had the week of her career at the Real Club de Polo. She and the 13-year-old mare In The Air won Thursday’s CSIO5* 1.50m Estrella Damm Trophy and followed it on Friday night with the CSIO5* 1.60m Grand Prix of the City of Barcelona, the Calvet 75th Anniversary Trophy.

Great Britain came to Barcelona as defending champions, having beaten Ireland in a jump-off here in 2025 with Scott Brash delivering the decisive round in his first-ever League of Nations appearance. The team, alongside Brash and Mendoza, consisted of Tim Gredley, and Jack Whitaker. Series debutant, Jodie Hall McAteer, was also present. Some expensive mistakes were had, and after dropping Jack’s 16 faults from the first round, the Brits ended on a total of 20 faults.

What Happens Next

The 2027 series will be built from the League of Nations Rankings published in November. Germany goes into that process as world champions and series champions.