2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series: Official Teams Announced
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) have officially revealed the 40 teams that will compete in the 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series. These teams, across Endurance (cross-country) and Gravity (downhill and enduro) formats, are guaranteed entry to every round of the series.
For the first time, the top 10 teams in each format have secured an unprecedented two-year licence, while teams ranked 11–15 receive a one-year licence.
Second Season Under the New Team System
The 2026 season marks the second year under the updated qualification framework introduced ahead of the 2025 season. This system created WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams (formerly UCI MTB Elite Teams), giving selected teams protected status and guaranteed participation.
The goal of this change was to help teams grow their value, provide greater benefits to riders, create clearer identities for fans, and strengthen the pathway to the top of the sport. The results were clear, with the 2025 season among the most competitive in recent years.
For 2026, 83 teams from 20 nations registered as UCI MTB Teams. From these, 40 teams earned World Series Team status across both formats.
How Teams Were Selected
Each format includes 20 teams:
- Top 15 teams from the UCI Team Rankings
- Five full-season wildcards, selected through a scoring matrix
Team rankings are calculated using the combined UCI points of the team’s four highest-ranked riders, regardless of category. Points come from Finals across all UCI-registered events, not just World Series rounds.The ranking cut-off date was 28 October 2025.
A key update for 2026: riders no longer transfer points when switching teams, meaning teams earned their status strictly based on their 2025 performance, even if riders later moved elsewhere.
ENDURANCE TEAMS
2-year licence
- Specialized Factory Racing
- Decathlon Ford Racing Team
- Canyon XC Racing
- Cannondale Factory Racing
- Thömus Maxon
- Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team
- Orbea Fox Factory Team
- Cube Factory Racing
- Scott-SRAM MTB Racing Team
- BIXS Race Team
1-year licence
- Trek – Unbroken XC
- Origine Racing Division
- KMC Nukeproof MTB Racing Team
- Giant Factory Off-Road Team – XC
- Lapierre PXR Racing
Wildcards (1-year licence)
- BH Coloma Team
- Liv Factory Racing
- Mondraker Factory Racing XC
- BMC Factory Racing
- Alpecin-Premier Tech
GRAVITY TEAMS
2-year licence
- Canyon DH Racing
- Santa Cruz Syndicate
- Commencal/Muc-Off by Riding Addiction
- Orbea FMD Racing
- Mondraker Factory Racing DH
- Yeti / Fox Factory Race Team
- Cube Factory Racing
- Specialized Gravity
- Trek – Unbroken DH
- Commencal Schwalbe by Les Orres
1-year licence
- Norco X adidas Race Division
- MS-Racing
- Nukeproof Axess Racing
- Unno Factory Racing DH
- Giant Factory Off-Road Team – DH
Wildcards (1-year licence)
- Santa Cruz Burgtec by Goodman
- Scott Downhill Factory
- Frameworks Racing / TRP
- AON Racing
- Continental Atherton
Other Ways to Compete
Teams without World Series Team status can still take part via up to eight wildcard spots per format at each round. These are awarded based on factors such as UCI Continental Series results, team rankings, and rider profiles.
Entry for Privateers and Individual Riders
Individual riders remain eligible under specific criteria:
Champions
- Current Olympic, UCI World, Continental, or National Champions
Cross-country
- Elite riders ranked in the top 100
- U23 riders ranked in the top 200
Downhill
- Elite riders ranked in the top 50
- Junior riders ranked in the top 100
Additional spots are available through UCI Continental Series results, provided riders are not registered with a World Series Team.
Full details can be found in the UCI Regulations (articles 4.10.001 and 4.11.001).
Season Start
The 2026 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series begins on May 1 in South Korea, marking the return of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to Asia for the first time in 25 years.
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