Could Britain host the next World Championships? Major venues eye up 2030
Major British venues are eyeing the 2030 FEI World Championships following the opening of the first step of the allocation process last week.
The expression of interest phase for hosting the next worlds, which opened on 12 October and runs until 11 December, is a very early stage. An expression of interest doesn’t lock organisers in, but it is a compulsory step for an organisation to be eligible to submit a formal bid.
Burghley is eyeing the 2030 World Championships in eventing and potentially extending to other disciplines. Blenheim is looking to submit an expression of interest in hosting all disciplines at the Oxfordshire venue – with the exception of vaulting, owing to the need for an indoor arena, for which the Blenheim organisers “would look to Hartpury”.
Burghley has a long association with championships. It hosted the inaugural eventing worlds in 1966 and was home to the 1974 running, as well as six senior Europeans. It was shortlisted for the 2026 eventing World Championships, which was ultimately given to Aachen (news, 23 November 2023).
In March 2025, UK Sport listed the 2030 FEI World Eventing Championships as a hosting opportunity. At the time, a Burghley spokesperson said that the event was “excited about the prospect of this prestigious event returning to the UK and look forward to exploring it further” (news, 27 March 2025). The eventing worlds features again on the latest edition of the UK Sport international event hosting opportunities document, released in March this year. For context, it is the only equestrian event named on that list and one of just nine events that UK Sport has identified as hosting opportunities for that year.
Burghley event director Martyn Johnson told H&H that the event is likely to be bidding for the 2030 World Championships.
He added that while it’s not completely off the table that Burghley would explore hosting a multi-discipline championships, the parties involved had collectively decided that going for the eventing as a stand-alone would be the strongest approach.
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“Burghley has been working with UK Sport, the BEF and the FEI for some time through the process for the 2026 championships and is now looking to 2030,” he said.
“The vision for a World Championships at Burghley is that we want to showcase the sport on the biggest stages. Without doubt, Burghley in terms of its exceptional history, its global and domestic audience, its acknowledged position at the top of the sport, and the reach of its broadcast and communications, would be a very big platform for eventing and a very positive story for British sport.
“It would also have a considerable legacy aspect to the venue, that’s a big part of [what would come with] UK Sport funding and would be one of the major reasons for doing it. We want to invest further in the Burghley site and that’s a big part of what drives us to aspire to hold the 2030 World Championships.”
He added: “Burghley held the first eventing World Championships in 1966 and it would be very fitting for us to step up and deliver that in 2030, not just for Britain but for equestrian sport. It is a big opportunity for our sport to reach global eyes and to be aspirational and inspirational.”
Blenheim Horse Trials event director Katrina Midgley, of organisers Stable Events, confirmed to H&H that the fixture is “exploring the possibility” of hosting all disciplines (bar vaulting, as explained above) at the 2030 World Championships.
“I need to make it absolutely clear that we’re not competing with Burghley, Burghley has a very strong bid to do the World Eventing Championships,” said Mrs Midgley, stressing that this is “incredibly early stages”.
“Our ambition with this is to present a compelling and ambitious proposal that would bring world class competition together at Blenheim. We’re very supportive of Burghley’s bid to host the eventing championships. But we want to explore the opportunity for Blenheim Palace to offer a globally compelling proposition for the championships as a whole.
“This is just an expression of interest, it’s not a bid.”
She added that in order to proceed to the bidding stage, Blenheim would need endorsement from British Equestrian (BEF), all seven disciplines and the venues (Blenheim and the vaulting venue) for their expression of interest. The Blenheim organisers will need to present a strategic proposal to the BEF within the next month, including information such as a budget, economic impact and funding requirements.
Mrs Midgley said that it would be “immense” for Britain to host a World Championships, adding that Blenheim’s proximity to Oxford allows for lots of accommodation options – even from those staying further afield, such as London, and also makes it very accessible for UK fans.
Blenheim’s vision includes putting an all-weather arena in the Great Court, the inner courtyard at the palace, for dressage and showjumping. They would make use of the existing cross-country course for eventing and driving, and there are 12,000 acres of parkland for endurance. It would also explore using more of the wider area of the park than is currently used for its existing four-star event.
“Martyn puts on the most amazing world-class eventing at Burghley and would do the most amazing job. But this is more about how we secure the world championships as a whole in Great Britain,” said Mrs Midgley, adding that should the FEI say that they want to keep all the disciplines together, then Blenheim is saying “we can do that”.
“I wouldn’t be averse to eventing [happening] at Burghley and we host the rest of the disciplines. We’re very supportive of Burghley’s bid; this is about a UK bid.”
She added: “We have huge ambitions for Blenheim as a whole. It’s a world UNESCO site, we have amazing facilities there and an amazing estate who are very supportive.
“We feel we can offer a really compelling stage for world-class competition.”
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.