Big news for cycling fans! The UCI has just unveiled the team allocations for the upcoming WorldTour seasons from 2026 to 2028. This announcement sets the stage for thrilling races and fierce competition, but there's a twist for one team in particular.
The UCI has granted a total of 14 UCI Women's WorldTour licenses and 18 UCI WorldTour licenses for the next three years. This is a significant moment as it's the first time licenses have been awarded simultaneously for both men's and women's top tiers, ensuring a consistent structure for the sport. Additionally, the registration of teams for the ProTeam leagues, the second division of cycling, has also been confirmed.
Now, let's talk about Picnic-PostNL. While they've been awarded a WorldTour license, it's initially limited to a single year. The UCI has specified that the license's extension to the 2027 and 2028 seasons hinges on meeting certain financial criteria. The exact details of these criteria haven't been disclosed yet. However, Cyclingnews understands that the team is in negotiations with a major sponsor, with a resolution expected soon.
But here's where it gets controversial... The absence of Ceratizit and Roland from the lists is also noteworthy. Ceratizit was expected, as they ceased operations in 2025. Roland's absence, however, is a bit more puzzling. When contacted, the team declined to comment. It was reported in October that they hadn't provided the necessary paperwork for a top-tier league application.
On a more positive note, NSN Cycling Team, formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech, has been admitted, now racing under a Swiss license. Also, the merger between Intermarché and the Belgian squad Lotto is officially going ahead, with the new team named Lotto Intermarché.
In summary, for the 2026 season, we'll see 14 UCI Women's WorldTeams, 18 UCI WorldTeams, 16 UCI ProTeams, and 7 UCI Women’s ProTeams.
Here's a breakdown of the teams:
UCI Women's WorldTeams
- AG INSURANCE – SOUDAL TEAM (AGS – BEL)
- CANYON-SRAM ZONDACRYPTO (CSZ – GER)
- EF EDUCATION – OATLY (EFO - USA)
- FDJ UNITED – SUEZ (TFS – FRA)
- FENIX – PREMIER TECH (FPT – BEL)
- HUMAN POWERED HEALTH (HPH – USA)
- LIDL – TREK (LTK – GER)
- LIV – ALULA – JAYCO (LIV – AUS)
- MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV – ESP)
- TEAM PICNIC POSTNL (TPP – NED)
- TEAM SD WORX – PROTIME (SDW – NED)
- TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE (TVL – NED)
- UAE TEAM ADQ (UAD – UAE)
- UNO-X MOBILITY (UXM – NOR)
UCI Men's WorldTeams
- ALPECIN – PREMIER TECH (APC – BEL)
- BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS (TBV – BRN)
- DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM (DCT – FRA)
- EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST (EFE – USA)
- GROUPAMA – FDJ UNITED (GFC – FRA)
- INEOS GRENADIERS (IGD – GBR)
- LIDL – TREK (LTK – GER)
- LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ (LOI – BEL)
- MOVISTAR TEAM (MOV – ESP)
- NSN CYCLING TEAM (NSN – SUI)
- RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE (RBH – GER)
- SOUDAL QUICK-STEP (SOQ – BEL)
- TEAM JAYCO ALULA (JAY – AUS)
- TEAM PICNINC POSTNL (TPP – NED)
- TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE (TVL – NED)
- UAE TEAM EMIRATES XRG (UAD – UAE)
- UNO-X MOBILITY (UXM – NOR)
- XDS ASTANA TEAM (XAT – KAZ)
UCI Men's ProTeams
- BARDIANI CSF (BCS – ITA)
- BURGOS – BURPELLET – BH (BBH – ESP)
- CAJA RURAL – SEGUROS RGA (CJR – ESP)
- COFIDIS (COF – FRA)
- EQUIPO KERN PHARMA (EKP – ESP)
- EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI (EUS – ESP)
- MBH BANK CSB TELECOM FORT (MBH – HUN)
- MODERN ADVENTURE PRO CYCLING (MAP – USA)
- PINARELLO – Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM (Q36 – SUI)
- TEAM FLANDERS – BALOISE (TFB – BEL)
- TEAM NOVO NORDISK (TNN – USA)
- TEAM POLTI VISITMALTA (PTV – ITA)
- TOSCANA NIPPO RALI (TFT – ITA)
- TOTALENERGIES (TEN – FRA)
- TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM (TUD – SUI)
- UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS (RKT – FRA)
UCI Women's ProTeams
- COFIDIS WOMEN TEAM (CWT – FRA)
- LABORAL KUTXA – FUNDACION EUSKADI (LKF – ESP)
- LOTTO LADIES (LOL – BEL)
- MA PETITE ENTREPRISE (MPE – FRA)
- MAYENNE MONBANA MY PIE (MMM – FRA)
- ST MICHEL – PREFERENCE HOME – AUBER93 (AUB – FRA)
- VOLKERWESSELS CYCLING TEAM (VCT – NED)
And this is the part most people miss... The decisions made by the UCI will significantly impact the cycling landscape for the next few years. The limited license for Picnic-PostNL raises questions about the team's financial stability.
What do you think about these developments? Are you surprised by any of the team selections or the license limitations? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
