€10 million in prize money on offer in inaugural Global Champions League playoffs in Prague

From December 13–16, 59 riders and 100 horses from 20 nations at the CSI5* level, and 37 riders and 65 horses from 16 nations at the CSI2* level will be in the Czech capital, a UNESCO World Heritage site nicknamed the ‘City of a Hundred Spires.’ Taking place at the 02 arena, the Prague equestrian showdown will be the first indoor event for the League and Tour, whose Super Grand Prix will be previewed shortly on Eurosport.

What is the GCL Super Cup set to take place in Prague? Of the 19 teams competing in the League this year, the top-ranked 16 have secured a spot in Prague, with the top four advancing directly to the semi-finals. Over three days, the squads of four riders each (with three in competition) will face off in three rounds, with managers able to make substitutions at different moments.

On the first day, 12 teams will compete, with the top eight finishers joining the four already qualified for the semi-finals. Six teams will qualify for the Final, with the fences and stakes getting progressively higher as the competition proceeds. In the two-round Final, all faults count and no substitutions are allowed. The total prize purse is an unprecedented total of €10.1 million, with €3 million going to the winning team alone.

After stops in Mexico City, Miami Beach, Shanghai, Madrid, Hamburg, Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Cascais/Estoril, Monaco, Paris, Chantilly, Berlin, London, Valkenswaard, Rome and Doha, the Prague competition will be jam-packed with stars of the sport, from Scott Brash and Ben Maher to Edwina Tops-Alexander and Harrie Smolders, Bertram Allen and Marcus Ehning to Laura Kraut and Henrik von Eckermann. The full list of horses and riders is here.

And for a profile of the hometown Prague Lions team, which includes two Czech riders – Ales Opartny and U25 rider Anna Kellnerova – alongside seasoned CSI5* riders like Peder Fredricson of Sweden, see here. “To win any of these shows you really have to be prepared to get out of your comfort zone – none of the riders are going to give away a victory so you have to go in and fight for it,” Fredricson said. “For sure everyone comes to ride that class to win it. We’ll hope to have our horses in the best shape, and ourselves in the best shape, and of course we’ll try to win it.”