Most sheep dog trials are local or national events. The World Trial is different. It gathers the finest handlers and dogs from across the globe, each having earned their place at home, to compete for the honour of becoming World Champion.
It is the most prestigious event in the sport, and in September 2026 it comes to Huntington Farm, near Lauder, in the Scottish Borders.
A homecoming
There could be no more fitting place for it. The Scottish Borders are the birthplace of the Border collie, the breed that, from these very hills, went on to work sheep on every continent on earth. And it comes home not to a stadium or a showground, but to a working farm: Huntington Farm, near Lauder, where the Runciman family farm sheep every day of the year.
More than 300 handlers and their dogs are expected, representing 31 competing nations. They may speak different languages and whistle different commands, but what they share is a well-trained dog they trust completely and the skill to prove it on the world’s hardest stage.
How a champion is crowned
The competition builds over four days. It opens with the qualifying rounds, where every handler runs and the field is gradually narrowed to the very best. Those top dogs go through to the Semi Finals, and from there just fifteen earn their place in the Final.
The Final is the toughest test in the sport. The course is longer, the sheep more numerous, and the work more demanding than anything that has come before. Five judges score every run, and the title is decided on merit points, a system that rewards consistency and class across the whole field, so that the champion is, unarguably, the best of the best.
More than one champion
The World Champion title isn’t the only contest worth watching. The Young Handlers are the future of the sport. These are competitors aged twenty-one and under, who have qualified through their own home nations to represent their countries here. Watching a young handler command a dog with the calm of someone twice their age shows that the future of sheep dog trialling is in safe hands.
New for the 2026 World Trials is the Brace competition. In brace, a single handler works two dogs at once, on the same sheep, at the same time. It demands everything that handling one dog does, then doubles it: two sets of commands, two dogs to read, two halves of a single plan unfolding together across the field. It is rare, spectacular, and a first for the World Trial.
An occasion as much as a competition
The World Trial is also a celebration. The competition will be livestreamed around the world, and around the field there’s a whole countryside gathering to enjoy. Whether you come for a single day or follow the drama all the way to the Final, you’ll be watching history being made in the place where it all began.
