The Women's WorldTour begins a new three-year cycle in 2026, a new era that will hopefully lead to further growth for women's racing that has been on a fast upwards trajectory for several seasons.
Only 14 teams were awarded WorldTour licence for 2026, in part due to rapidly rising costs and more stringent registration rules, but riders are earning more and have more benefits and have more visibility than ever before.
EF Education-Oatly were promoted to the 2026 WorldTour. Sadly, the Ceratizit team closed and Roland Le Dévoluy dropped out of the pro peloton, while Cofidis became a ProTeam. Promotion and relegation after 2028 should see a real battle for UCI ranking points.
2026 is the 11th season of the Women's WorldTour, with the Tour de France Femmes now the biggest race of the year and creating global interest just like for the men. There are more races than ever, with more Classics, three Grand Tours and other stage races between the Tour Down Under in January and the Tour of Guangxi in China to close the year.
SD Worx-Protime are expected to win big once again in 2026 thanks to Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky but no longer dominate every race, with the world's best riders spread across several teams.
Demi Vollering is inspiring at FDJ United-Suez, Kim Le Court-Pienaar aggressively leads AG Insurance-Soudal, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto's GC star, Puck Pieterse shows off her multi-talents at Fenix-Premier Tech, Marlen Reusser and Cat Ferguson are impressing at Movistar, Elisa Longo Borghini leads UAE Team ADQ's growth, while Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos lead Visma-Lease a Bike.
In this comprehensive team-by-team guide, Cyclingnews takes a closer look at all 14 Women's WorldTour teams for the 2026 season, detailing team leaders, new signings, and their strengths and weaknesses.
AG Insurance-Soudal
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 9th
- Key riders: Kim Le Court-Pienaar, Sarah Gigante. Urška Žigart
- Rider to watch: Letizia Borghesi
AG Insurance-Soudal enjoyed a successful 2025 thanks to Kim Le Court-Pienaar, Sarah Gigante and Urška Žigart and have opted for little change for 2026.
Le Court-Pienaar was one of the stars of the Tour de France Femmes thanks to her stage win, three top-three results and four days in the leader's yellow jersey. She will surely step up another level in 2026 as she shows off her multi-coloured Mauritius national champion's jersey.
Gigante recovered from iliac artery surgery to win two stages and finish second at the Giro d'Italia Women. She was sixth at the Tour and second to Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on the final and decisive Col de la Madeleine. She fractured her femur before the World Championships but was no doubt inspired by seeing the Colle delle Finestre as the final climb of the Giro route for 2026 and a Mont Ventoux summit finish in the Tour.
Žigart didn't win a race in 2025 but her palmarès was packed with top-five results, ninth overall at the Giro and second at the late-season Tour de Romandie Féminin.
Letizia Borghesi is the team's only new signing, with the Italian bringing her Classics experience and a desire to return to her best after two difficult years. Her second place at Paris-Roubaix showed her true level.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio recently turned 40 but continues as a role model, with Shari Bossuyt back racing with AG Insurance-Soudal after her doping ban ended in June 2025.
Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 5th
- Key riders: Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Chloé Dygert, Tiffany Cromwell
- Rider to watch: Zoe Bäckstedt
Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto might not be one of the true super teams of women's cycling but they stand out in the peloton thanks to their colours and the qualities of Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Chloé Dygert, Zoe Bäckstedt, Soraya Paladin, Tiffany Cromwell and Chiara Consonni.
Niewiadoma-Phinney finished third in the 2025 Tour, to complete a unique set of four consecutive podium places, after another classy Grand Tour performance. She only won the Polish national championships in 2025 but always races hard, her lack of a fast sprint finish her only weakness.
Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig had a low-key 2025, discovering she was fighting intestinal parasites late in the season. She will surely be back to her best in 2026. Zoe Bäckstedt won the under-23 time trial world title in Rwanda and the Baloise Ladies Tour as she continues to develop year on year. The Classics are surely within her reach.
Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto will have a 16-rider roster in 2026, with Cromwell riding her 11th season for the team and Dygert her sixth. Rolf Aldag was named as the team's Director of Sport in late December.
EF Education-Oatly
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 10th
- Key riders: Magdeleine Vallieres, Kristen Faulkner, Cédrine Kerbaol
- Rider to watch: Caoimhe O’Brien
EF Education-Oatly step-up to the WorldTour in 2026 after two seasons of growth and consolidation at ProTeam level.
Alison Jackson has left for St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 but the American team have invested in young talent and signed six new riders, including Solbjørk Minke Anderson from Uno-X Mobility, Alice Towers from Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto and up-and-coming Irish rider Caoimhe O'Brien.
“As our team moves up to the WorldTour in 2026 and we have a handful of riders with depth and experience to anchor the squad, we’ve signed young riders like Caoimhe to continue our work of shaping the next generation," team manager Esra Tromp said.
Canada's Magdeleine Vallieres came of age by becoming world champion and EF Education-Oatly can also count on Olympic road race champion Kristen Faulkner and Cédrine Kerbaol to lead and inspire the team in 2026.
FDJ United-Suez
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 1st
- Key riders: Demi Vollering, Évita Muzic, Juliette Labous
- Rider to watch: Eva van Agt
Demi Vollering's transfer to FDJ United-Suez for 2025 sparked a change in the balance of power in the women's WorldTour, with FDJ United-Suez topping the UCI team rankings, a clear sign of their strength and the success of Vollering's first season away from SD Worx. The French team will be looking to improve even more in 2026.
Vollering could not match Ferrand-Prévot's climbing prowess in the Tour but she was back to her best, winning 11 times during the season, including the European title, Strade Bianche and the Vuelta Femenina. She remains a figurehead and inspiration in women's cycling but fortunately she is not alone.
Team manager Stephen Delcourt is determined to take on SD Worx and Lidl-Trek and the French team can count on Elise Chabbey, Juliette Labous, Vittoria Guazzini, Évita Muzic, French national champion Marie Le Net and Tour of Britain winner Ally Wollaston. New signings include Eva van Agt, Franziska Koch, Lauren Dickson and Sofia Bertizzolo to strengthen the core of the 16-rider squad for 2026.
Fenix-Premier Tech
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 11th
- Key riders: Puck Pieterse, Charlotte Kool
- Rider to watch: Flora Perkins
Fenix-Premier Tech is part of the galaxy of successful teams managed by the Roodhooft brothers in Belgium, with the women's team racing on the road, in cyclocross and in mountain bikes.
Puck Pieterse has the talents to do it all and proved it in 2025, winning mountain bike World Cups, major cyclo-cross races and La Flèche Wallonne on the road. She was a close second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and again animated the Tour de France Femmes.
The 2026 Fenix-Premier Tech roster also includes Charlotte Kool after her mid-season transfer in 2025. The 26-year-old sprinter is not quite as fast as Lorena Wiebes but already has 21 victories on her palmarès, including two Tour stages. Yara Kastelijn is another cornerstone of the team, while Britain's Flora Perkins is one of the young talents.
Human Powered Health
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 13th
- Key riders: Kathrin Schweinberger, Lily Williams, Thalita de Jong
- Rider to watch: Titia Ryo
The US-registered Human Powered Health team has been in the women's peloton for over a decade and a WorldTour team since 2022. The healthcare company recently extended their support for three more years and they hired Magnus Bäckstedt as Head Sports Director.
“This is a growing project, and that is what excites me. Now is the perfect time for me to come in and help guide the team towards where it wants to be,” Bäckstedt said.
The 20-rider 2026 roster includes five new signings, including Marta Jaskulska and 20-year-old French rider Titia Ryo, who was second in the Tour de France Femmes best young rider competition in 2025.
Lily WIlliams, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Kathrin Schweinberger and Thalita de Jong all remain as team leaders, whilst Ruth Edwards takes time away on maternity leave.
Human Powered Health use Factor bikes and so will race on the new Factor ONE aero bike in 2026.
Lidl-Trek
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 4th
- Key riders: Elisa Balsamo, Niamh Fisher-Black
- Rider to watch: Ricarda Bauernfeind
2025 was a year of transition for the Lidl-Trek women's team and more generational change comes in 2026 following the retirement of stalwarts Lizzie Deignan and Ellen van Dijk.
Elisa Balsamo, Niamh Fisher-Black, cyclo-cross star Lucinda Brand, Gaia Realini and Anna Henderson all share leadership, with Lidl-Trek hoping Balsamo and especially Realini can bounce back in 2026 after a season disrupted by illness and injury.
"We've got to step-up a level after rebuilding the roster. I hope we can get back to the level of the last few years, when we were amongst the best teams in the women's peloton and able to win every race," team manager Luca Guercilena told Cyclingnews.
New signings include Tour stage winner Ricarda Bauernfeind, Loes Adegeest and Ireland's Marine Lenehan who has only been racing for three years.
Liv AlUla Jayco
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 8th
- Key riders: Georgia Baker, Letizia Paternoster, Monica Trinca Colonel
- Rider to watch: Mackenzie Coupland
The stand-out MAAP Liv AlUla Jayco kit returns to the WorldTour in 2026, with the team again flying the flag for Australian cycling.
Mavi García has moved to UAE Team ADQ but the 15-rider roster includes Georgia Baker, Letizia Paternoster, Monica Trinca Colonel and Ruby Roseman-Gannon.
Baker is a trusted road captain and ended 2025 with a stage win at the Tour of Chongming Island. Paternoster returned to her true level in 2025 after two injury-hit seasons, finishing fifth at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and then wearing the red leader's jersey at the Vuelta Femenina. Monica Trinca Colonel took a solo victory and so sealed overall victory at Tour Féminin de l’Ardèche.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon has agreed a contract extension and will stay with Liv AlUla Jayco until the end of 2027 in a leadership role.
"Over the past two years, we’ve built a lot of momentum and I’m excited to see where we can take it in the future." Roseman-Gannon said.
"As a team we have a lot of strength, motivation, positivity and a real sense of belonging between us. I’m really motivated to make the next two years my best yet."
Movistar
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 6th
- Key riders: Marlen Reusser, Liane Lippert, Cat Ferguson
- Rider to watch: Paula Ostiz
Movistar presented their women's, men's and development team together this winter, as every major and modern pro cycling team should.
Marlen Reusser and Cat Ferguson stand out as team leaders but Sara Martín is the current Spanish national champion, with junior world and European champion Paula Ostiz surely a future talent.
The team's only other new addition is Italy's Francesca Barale, with Liane Lippert, Floortje Mackaij and Sheyla Gutiérrez forming the experienced core, whilst Arlenis Sierra is due to return from maternity leave. Tota Magalhães, Martín and Aude Biannic have all extended their contracts.
Ferguson's first full season at WorldTour level confirmed her potential, with her stage win and second place at the Tour of Britain Women standing out. She was third at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in March and ended 2025 with a win at the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia in October.
Reusser confirmed her climbing and stage race talents in 2025, winning the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas and the Tour de Suisse and finishing second in the Vuelta Femenina and the Giro d'Italia Women, despite a late-race illness. She was forced to pull out of the Tour de France Femmes during stage 1 due to stomach problems but won the world and European time trial titles and will surely be hungry for Tour revenge in 2026.
Picnic PostNL
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 14th
- Key riders: Pfeiffer Georgi, Mia Griffin
- Rider to watch: Robyn Clay
The Picnic PostNL team won just four races in 2025 and lost Charlotte Kool to Fenix-Deceuninck in a mid-season transfer. They went close to some victories including at the Schwalbe Women's One Day Classic in Australia, Gent-Wevelgem, Copenhagen Sprint but the team's season was reflected in their fall from fourth to 14th in the UCI team rankings.
Pfeiffer Georgi was second in the 2025 British national championships, missing out on a third consecutive title. She is Picnic PostNL's protected rider and team leader for 2026, with 50% of the roster changing around her.
Marta Cavalli eventually opted to retire after returning from serious injury, while Franziska Koch moved to FDJ United-Suez and the USA's Megan Jastrab moved to UAE Team ADQ. Twenty-one-year-old talent Nienke Vinke was arguably the biggest loss. She opted to move on after winning the best young rider's white jersey at the Tour de France Femmes, joining SD Worx-Protime.
New signings include Audrey De Keersmaeker from Lotto, Ireland's Mia Griffin and Britain's Robyn Clay who steps up to the WorldTour after lots of lower-level success.
SD Worx-Protime
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 2nd
- Key riders: Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky
- Rider to watch: Valentina Cavallar
The Women's WorldTour has developed significantly in recent years with the best riders now spread across several teams. Yet SD Worx-Protime continue to stand out as a women's super team thanks to the success of Lorena Wiebes, Lotte Kopecky and Anna van der Breggen.
Wiebes won 25 races in 2025, including Milan-San Remo Women, Gent-Wevelgem and stages at the Giro and the Tour. She won five of the six stages of the Simac Ladies Tour in the Netherlands to underline her dominance in the sprints. She is still only 26.
Kopecky had a rollercoaster season by her standards but still won the Tour of Flanders. She has suffered with lower back problems, started the Giro and the Tour but suffered in both races. She eventually decided to end her season early and reset for 2026.
Anna van der Breggen came out of retirement and immediately showed her class with second place at Strade Bianche. She was also third overall at the Vuelta Femenina and rode the Giro and Tour. She will be 36 in April but is clearly not done yet.
SD Worx-Protime signed Valentina Cavallar from Arkéa-B&B Hotels and future talent Nienke Vinke from Picnic PostNL, reinforcing the team's stage race options and investing for the future.
UAE Team ADQ
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 3rd
- Key riders: Elisa Longo Borghini, Mavi Garcia, Pauliena Rooijakkers
- Rider to watch: Maëva Squiban
Elisa Longo Borghini elevated UAE Team ADQ's ambitions after joining the team for 2025. The Italian won the UAE Tour, a second consecutive Giro and a host of other one-day races.
Longo Borghini starts 2026 as Italian national and will target the Giro GC once again before returning to the Tour with unfinished business. She has still to make her mark in the sport's biggest race and was forced to abandon in 2025. The new early June date for the Giro gives Longo Borghini and others a chance to go for the Giro-Tour double in 2026.
UAE Team ADQ has the biggest roster in the 2026 WorldTour with 21 riders. Mavi García returns, bolstered by her Tour stage win and third place in the Rwanda World Championships road race. Twenty-three-year-old Maëva Squiban was the revelation of the 2025 Tour, winning back to back stages and it will be fascinating to follow her in 2026.
Megan Jastrab joins from Picnic PostNL, with Elynor Bäckstedt, Silvia Persico, Brodie Chapman the core of the team and all proven WorldTour riders. Twenty-year-old Federica Venturelli is developing rapidly and joins from the UAE development team along with Febe Jooris.
Uno-X Mobility
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 12th
- Key riders: Susanne Andersen, Mie Bjørndal Ottestad
- Rider to watch: Anniina Ahtosalo
Uno-X Mobility surprisingly had no WorldTour victories in 2025 but did win 14 lesser races, including six different national time trial and road race titles and so rose from 16th to 12th in the UCI rankings.
Susanne Andersen won the Antwerp Port Epic and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad won the team's home race, the Tour of Norway. Ottestad was also third at the Tour Down Under.
Team manager Thor Hushovd has shaken up the team staff, with Anna Badegruber replacing Alex Greenfield, while Megan Chard, Nicolas Marche, and Alejandro Gonzalez Tablas join as sports directors.
The team will target the sprints with Anniina Ahtosalo, the Classics with Andersen, and build on Katrine Aalerud's tenth place at the Giro.
"We want to keep building on what we started. 2025 showed we’re on the right path. Now it’s about continuing that development," Badegruber said.
"It’s about creating a strong structure, for our sprinters, for our GC leaders, and for the team as a whole. And continuing to give riders space to grow within that."
Visma-Lease a Bike
- UCI World Ranking 2025: 7th
- Key riders: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Marianne Vos
- Rider to watch: Imogen Wolff
Visma-Lease a Bike will head into 2026 with lofty goals and loftier expectations, given their successes in 2025, despite being one of the newer WorldTour teams.
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot returned to WorldTour road racing after a five-year absence and immediately proved her multi-talents and became the biggest name in the women's peloton by winning Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femme. She made history and huge headlines as the first French rider to win the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985.
Ferrand-Prévot is focused and driven and she prepared specifically for the Tour and the decisive high mountain stages in the Alps, including dropping weight which sparked a debate in the women's peloton.
Ferrand-Prévot raised the bar in women's Grand Tour racing and will return to the Tour in 2026, no doubt enthusiastic about the stage that finishes on Mont Ventoux.
Marianne Vos turns 39 in May but seems eternal. She has racked up 258 career victories and added two stages at the Vuelta and the opening stage of the Tour to her GOAT palmarès. She wore the yellow jersey for three days and was also second at Milan-San Remo and the end of season Gravel World Championships. 2026 could be Vos' last dance but that will be her decision as she has a special lifetime contract with Visma-Lease a Bike.
The Dutch superteam has a quality 15-rider roster for 2026 with Daniek Hengeveld and Canada's Sarah Van Dam joining from the defunct Ceratizit team. Fem van Empel announced her retirement from the sport for personal reasons but British talent Imogen Wolff, Martina Fidanza and Nienke Veenhoven are riders to watch.
