World Tour Wildcards 2026

[Rockestar_33]

Couldn't find a thread for this yet so I made one. With the new rules surrounding the WT teams only being allowed to miss one WT race for the year, unless I imagined that, it'll be interesting to see which teams get wildcard entries at the various races.

Tudor, Q36.5 and Cofidis automatically get wildcards at all WT races. Arkea, if they manage to survive will get all the One Day races, but if not it goes to TotalEnergies. Teams eligible for Grand Tour wildcards outside the top 3 from 2025 are:

Arkea - B&B Hotels (pending survival, FRA)
TotalEnergies (FRA)
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA (ESP)
Unibet Rose Rockets (FRA)
Burgos Burpellet BH (ESP)
Team Polti VisitMalta (ITA)
Equipo Kern Pharma (ESP)
VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane (ITA)

Looks pretty straight forward who goes to which Grand Tour, unless Cofidis turns down the invitation to the Giro, but if they did I'd expect the Spanish team that isn't at La Vuelta to ride instead.

Giro: Team Polti VisitMalta, VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane (Burgos Burpellet BH if no Cofidis)
Tour: TotalEnergies, Unibet Rose Rockets
Vuelta: Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, Equipo Kern Pharma (Burgos Burpellet BH if Tudor/Q36.5 turn it down)

I don't see the top 3 turning down the Grand Tours however.

 

[pastronef]

Couldn't find a thread for this yet so I made one. With the new rules surrounding the WT teams only being allowed to miss one WT race for the year, unless I imagined that, it'll be interesting to see which teams get wildcard entries at the various races.

Tudor, Q36.5 and Cofidis automatically get wildcards at all WT races. Arkea, if they manage to survive will get all the One Day races, but if not it goes to TotalEnergies. Teams eligible for Grand Tour wildcards outside the top 3 from 2025 are:

Arkea - B&B Hotels (pending survival, FRA)
TotalEnergies (FRA)
Caja Rural - Seguros RGA (ESP)
Unibet Rose Rockets (FRA)
Burgos Burpellet BH (ESP)
Team Polti VisitMalta (ITA)
Equipo Kern Pharma (ESP)
VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane (ITA)

Looks pretty straight forward who goes to which Grand Tour, unless Cofidis turns down the invitation to the Giro, but if they did I'd expect the Spanish team that isn't at La Vuelta to ride instead.

Giro: Team Polti VisitMalta, VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizane (Burgos Burpellet BH if no Cofidis)
Tour: TotalEnergies, Unibet Rose Rockets
Vuelta: Caja Rural - Seguros RGA, Equipo Kern Pharma (Burgos Burpellet BH if Tudor/Q36.5 turn it down)

I don't see the top 3 turning down the Grand Tours however.

Arkea is gone. the team has folded

 

[RedheadDane]

Arkea is gone. the team has folded

 

[harrybo]

Well I look forward to seeing the Rockets in Barcalona then

 

[search]

are there any announcements about Down Under yet? Will any Pro Team do it?

 

[ingsve]

Tudor, Q36.5 and Cofidis automatically get wildcards at all WT races. Arkea, if they manage to survive will get all the One Day races, but if not it goes to TotalEnergies.

As far as I know there is no team that gets automatic WC to all one day races. That spot became the 3rd WC for all WT races that Cofidis gets. They didn't add any automatic spot for a 4th team.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

are there any announcements about Down Under yet? Will any Pro Team do it?

I dont think TDU gives out more wild cards then the obligatory ones, except for the Australian national team. Last year Lotto skipped it, so Israel was the only Pro Team there.

 

[Rockestar_33]

I dont think TDU gives out more wild cards then the obligatory ones, except for the Australian national team. Last year Lotto skipped it, so Israel was the only Pro Team there.

That happened the entire cycle fwiw

 

[search]

I dont think TDU gives out more wild cards then the obligatory ones, except for the Australian national team. Last year Lotto skipped it, so Israel was the only Pro Team there.

yeah, would be a huge surprise if they invite anyone out of the mandatory ones (+National Team), but still interesting to see if Tudor and/or Q36.5 make the trip to Australia.

I guess Cofidis is unlikely to.

 

[Rockestar_33]

yeah, would be a huge surprise if they invite anyone out of the mandatory ones (+National Team), but still interesting to see if Tudor and/or Q36.5 make the trip to Australia.

I guess Cofidis is unlikely to.

Q36.5 have two Aussies in the team which might sway them to come over, but if they don't it likely means Harper, Howson and Storer combine for the Australian team, which would be formidable. I don't see Tudor making the trip.

In all honesty I think Q36.5 should make the trip. A team of Harper, Bennett, De Gendt, Howson, Moschetti, Van Moer and Wright is pretty strong for TDU standards and a decent chance at a few stage wins and a probable top 10 finish.

Ironically, I can see Cofidis making the trip due to the lack of Australians in their squad. Tudor have Storer, but he can be in the Australian squad and just score points for them in a probable top 10 finish, whereas Cofidis would be risking losing points to all their rivals by not coming. Coqard has won stages in the TDU before, and I can see them coming.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

TDU tbh smells like something the new American PCT team might do

 

[yaco]

Q36.5 have two Aussies in the team which might sway them to come over, but if they don't it likely means Harper, Howson and Storer combine for the Australian team, which would be formidable. I don't see Tudor making the trip.

In all honesty I think Q36.5 should make the trip. A team of Harper, Bennett, De Gendt, Howson, Moschetti, Van Moer and Wright is pretty strong for TDU standards and a decent chance at a few stage wins and a probable top 10 finish.

Ironically, I can see Cofidis making the trip due to the lack of Australians in their squad. Tudor have Storer, but he can be in the Australian squad and just score points for them in a probable top 10 finish, whereas Cofidis would be risking losing points to all their rivals by not coming. Coqard has won stages in the TDU before, and I can see them coming.

I suspect that the Aussie National team will be developing riders ( which it should be ) especially, seeing the ProVelo League has no carrot of a contract with Jayco Alula or Liv Alula.

 

[search]

Ironically, I can see Cofidis making the trip due to the lack of Australians in their squad. Tudor have Storer, but he can be in the Australian squad and just score points for them in a probable top 10 finish, whereas Cofidis would be risking losing points to all their rivals by not coming. Coqard has won stages in the TDU before, and I can see them coming.

I was more thinking from a financial point of view, but yeah, the Tour Down Under has been a good race for Cofidis indeed, with Coquard taking two of his three WT wins. Maybe they could still be interested to participate.

 

[Rockestar_33]

I suspect that the Aussie National team will be developing riders ( which it should be ) especially, seeing the ProVelo League has no carrot of a contract with Jayco Alula or Liv Alula.

I agree, that would be the core group but in the past few years Howson, Storer and Ewan have featured in that side due to being there and their pro team electing not to come.

Edit: As an aside, looking through the Nat teams in the past, the 2017 team with Meyer, Cal Scotson, L Hamilton, Storer and Hindley probably goes down as one of the best Nat teams produced in the TDU. Multiple Grand Tour stage winners and a Grand Tour winner, period. Yet Nathan Earle, one of the two who didn't "make it" was their best placed in GC.

I was more thinking from a financial point of view, but yeah, the Tour Down Under has been a good race for Cofidis indeed, with Coquard taking two of his three WT wins. Maybe they could still be interested to participate.

They'd probably also race the CEGORR if they came out. Coqard or Fretin would be decent chances at stage wins IMO

 

[Wyndbrook]

TDU tbh smells like something the new American PCT team might do

Might be a good idea for them to confirm a few riders first.