The list of applicants for WorldTour licenses that the UCI rolled out on Monday includes a few surprises. Nineteen teams are named on the men's side where only 18 spots are available, and on top of that, one name likely to be among the final selection of top-division teams is missing from the list.
Jayco-AlUla seems to have missed the deadline for WorldTeam application as the Australian squad is the lone expected applicant not on Monday's list. Meanwhile, two teams that would need some sort of unusual circumstances to make the WorldTour next year are on the list of teams requesting that status.
Kit Nicholson
Cofidis is one; the French organization has enjoyed WorldTeam status for the past three seasons but given their place in the three-year rankings, they seem destined for a demotion, with an ascendant Uno-X Mobility instead expected to take a spot left vacant by the merger of Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto. Whether Cofidis merely applied for WorldTeam status in 2026 as a just-in-case measure to be in the position to stay in the top division should another team miss out or because of some unknown machinations behind the scenes is unclear for now.
More intriguing is the other surprise member of the list: Pinarello-Q36.5.
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