WBD Sports and the UCI are pleased to announce the 40 teams to have earned WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status for the 2026 season.

The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series status guarantees their participation in every round of the series within their respective formats, placing them at the forefront of the sport’s elite competition. For the first time, the top 10 teams in the UCI Ranking (across Endurance and Gravity) have secured a two-year licence, underscoring their position among the sport’s elite.

SECOND SEASON UNDER THE NEW QUALIFICATION FRAMEWORK
After three years under WBD Sports’ guidance, the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series is set to embark on its second season since redefining the teams’ qualification criteria for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

The overhaul, introduced ahead of the 2025 season, established WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Teams (previously known as UCI MTB Elite Teams) for the first time. This protected status guarantees participation in every round of their respective formats.

The goal was to help teams build greater value, offering more benefits to athletes and the sport, creating a clear group for fans to rally behind, delivering more thrilling races, and establishing a clear pathway to the pinnacle of mountain bike. Early results speak for themselves – the 2025 series ranked among the most competitive in recent memory.

For the 2026 season, a total of 83 teams from 20 nations registered as UCI MTB Teams across all formats. Of those, 40 teams across both Endurance and Gravity have secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status:

 
REFINED SELECTION CRITERIA
Each format’s 20 selected teams feature the top 15 from the UCI Team Rankings plus five full-season wildcard spots awarded through a scoring matrix.

A team’s UCI points are calculated by combining the points of the team’s four highest-ranked riders, regardless of category (Men Elite, Men Junior/U23; Women Elite, Women Junior/U23). These points are earned at Finals across all UCI-registered events (not just WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series rounds). The ranking cut-off was 28 October 2025.

Ahead of the 2026 series, the selection criteria for WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status were refined. The key change: unlike in 2025, riders no longer carry their points when transferring teams during the off-season. This means a team secures its World Series Team status based on its 2025 performance—even if the riders who delivered that success have since moved on.

Also for the first time, the top 10 ranked teams in both the Endurance and Gravity formats have secured a two-year licence, while teams ranked 11-15 receive a one-year licence:

 HOW ELSE CAN TEAMS TAKE PART IN THE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES?
For teams that haven't secured WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team status, up to eight Wildcard spots per format are available at each UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. These Wildcard teams are announced ahead of each WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round and are selected based on factors such as UCI Continental Series results, UCI team rankings and individual athlete profiles.

HOW ABOUT PRIVATEERS AND INDIVIDUALS?
Individual riders are still eligible to enter a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series round based on the following criteria:
• Champions: Any current Olympic Champion, UCI World Champion, UCI Continental Champion or National Champion.
• Cross-country: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 100 or any U23 athlete ranked in the top 200 based on the last UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.
• Downhill: any Elite athlete ranked in the top 50 or any Junior athlete ranked in the top 100 based on the last UCI Downhill Individual Ranking dated before the event entry closing date of the round.

There are also additional spots up for grabs for the top Elite, Under 23 and Junior riders in any round or in the final standings of the UCI Continental Series, provided the rider is not registered with a WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series Team. More information is available in the UCI Regulations (art. 4.10.001 and 4.11.001).

The 2026 season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicks off on May 1 with the Race of South Korea – marking the return of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to the Asian continent for the first time in 25 years. 

For more information visit www.ucimtbworldseries.com