Prague, Czech Republic – November 18, 2025 – With the countdown officially on, excitement is reaching fever pitch as the 2025 GC Prague Playoffs on November 20-23 draws ever closer. The world’s most elite show jumping stars are now making their way to the heart of the Czech Republic’s capital for what promises to be four days of unmissable sport, drama, and high-stakes competition.
The GC Prague Playoffs stand as the ultimate finale to a blockbuster season, bringing together the finest riders on the planet to battle for unprecedented prize money of over €11.4 million and career-defining titles across both the Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix and the GCL Super Cup. Today, the highly anticipated rider roster has been unveiled, revealing a glittering collection of champions, rising stars, and global icons, each ready to step into the spotlight beneath the iconic O2 Arena.
Fans can look forward to back-to-back top-level action, beginning with the GCL Super Cup knockout Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals on Thursday and Friday, before the tournament culminates in Sunday’s dramatic GCL Super Cup Final. Throughout the season, teams have meticulously crafted their strategies, selecting the combinations they believe can withstand one of the most intense tests in the sport.
Across the 2025 GC Playoffs, teams will be represented by up to four riders, with three taking on each round – no drop scores, no second chances. Among the line-up are some of the most recognizable names in the world: champions, winners, seasoned veterans, and the next generation of stars.
This year’s start lists boast powerhouse squads such as Istanbul Warriors powered by Carpe Diem Equestrian Team with Abdel Said (BEL), Simon Delestre (FRA), Hasan Senturk (TUR)and former world number one Henrik von Eckermann; 2025 season Champions Valkenswaard United led by 2025 LGCT Champion Gilles Thomas and legends Marcus Ehning (GER), Hans Dieter Dreher (GER) and John Whitaker (GBR); and Shanghai Swans, fielding a formidable quartet including Ben Maher (GBR), Christian Ahlmann (GER), Daniel Deusser (GER) and Max Kühner (AUT). Home heroes Prague Lions powered by Czech Equestrian Team will be cheered on by the Czech crowd as Fernando Martinez Sommer (MEX), Thibeau Spits (BEL), Pieter Devos (BEL) and Niels Bruynseels (BEL) take to the arena.
Fans will also witness the star-studded Rome Gladiators powered by Cavalleria Toscana with Peder Fredricson (SWE), Yuri Mansur (BRA), Yali Kass (ISR) and Emanuele Gaudiano (ITA), the ever-competitive Madrid In Motion and first ever winners of the GCL Super Cup in 2018 come with Eduardo Álvarez Aznar (ESP), Manuel Fernandez Saro (ESP), Kim Emmen (NED) and Jack Whitaker (GBR). Then the elegant Monaco Comets powered by Iron Dames bring Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS), Jorne Sprehe (GER), Annelies Vorsselmans (BEL) and Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli (SWE) to the fore. From the high-powered New York Empire powered by Lugano featuring Scott Brash (GBR), Denis Lynch (IRL), Bertram Allen (IRL) and Michael Pender (IRL), to the youthful energy of the Cannes Stars powered by Iron Dames of Sophie Hinners (GER), Katrin Eckermann (GER), Anastasia Nielsen (MON) and Janne-Friederike Meyer Zimermann (GER), their 2025 roster reads like a who’s who of modern show jumping.
The GCL Super Cup will also spotlight the 2023 titleholders Riesenbeck International powered by HorseGym, represented by Christian Kukuk (GER), Philipp Weishaupt (GER), Marco Kutscher (GER) and Maximilian Weishaupt (GER), alongside strong contenders Basel Cosmopolitains with Jana Wargers (GER), Andreas Schou (DEN), Zascha Nygaard (DEN) and Marlon Zanotelli (BRA), and the ever-popular St Tropez Pirates led by Thibault Philippaerts (BEL), Gregory Cottard (BEL) and Duarte Seabra (POR).
Alongside team competition, riders who earned the coveted golden ticket throughout the 2025 Longines Global Champions Tour Super Grand Prix season will step into the arena for Saturday night’s showpiece: the LGCT Super Grand Prix. This elite field includes Harrie Smolders (NED), Gerrit Nieberg (GER) , Scott Brash (GBR), Abdel Said (BEL), Marco Kutscher (GER), Jerome Guery (BEL), Gilles Thomas (BEL), Simon Delestre (FRA), Christian Kukuk (GER), Nicola Philippaerts (BEL), Thibault Philippaerts (BEL), Gregory Cottard (FRA), Anastasia Nielsen (MON), Jana Wagers (GER), and Emanuele Camilli (ITA) – this season’s standout performers – each preparing to take on two unforgiving 1.65m tracks in a winner-takes-all battle for glory.
The 2025 GC Playoffs will also shine a spotlight on national federation entries, giving local fans even more to cheer for as Czech talents Anna Kellnerová (CZE), Ales Opatrný (CZE), Jan Stetina (CZE), Linda Portychová (CZE), and Natalie Kovářová (CZE) take centre stage on home soil.
With world-class sport, an electric atmosphere, immersive entertainment, and the most dramatic format in show jumping, the GC Prague Playoffs 2025 promise an unforgettable experience for fans of all ages. As the riders and teams prepare to give everything in pursuit of season-defining victories, one thing is certain: Prague is set to deliver a finale unlike any other.
Source: Press Release from the Longines Global Champions Tour
Photos: © LGCT
