UCI rankings: UAE dominate as Picnic face licence deadline and Pinarello-Q36.5 eye WorldTour spot

UAE Team Emirates-XRG continue to set the standard in professional cycling, leading the latest UCI team rankings with a massive haul of 30,329 points. 

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sit second on 25,102, followed by Visma | Lease a Bike on 22,648. With the final races of the season offering too few points to close the gap, UAE have already secured first place in the 2026 team rankings.

Paul Seixas' impressive victory at Il Lombardia, the final Monument of the season, was not enough to lift Decathlon CMA CGM beyond fourth place. Lidl-Trek remain fifth, while XDS Astana, Bahrain Victorious and Natcompany-Ineos complete the top eight.

There has been more movement further down the standings, with Soudal Quick-Step climbing to ninth at the expense of Uno-X Mobility. Movistar also gained two places, moving up to 12th following Enric Mas' second-place finish at Il Lombardia.

The first season of the new three-year WorldTour ranking cycle is coming to an end and several established teams already have ground to make up if they want to avoid relegation in 2029. 

Groupama-FDJ United sit 20th in the latest UCI team standings, while Team Picnic PostNL are down in 30th, leaving both current WorldTeams outside the all-important top 18.

The UCI's promotion and relegation system operates over three-year, with points collected across 2026, 2027 and 2028 determining which 18 eligible teams can secure WorldTour licences from 2029. Teams must also satisfy financial, administrative and other licensing requirements.

Two Swiss ProTeams are currently challenging the established order. Tom Pidcock's Pinarello-Q36.5 occupy 15th place, with Tudor Pro Cycling Team in 16th, both ahead of WorldTeams Lotto Intermarché and NSN Cycling Team, who hold the final two positions inside the top 18.

Cofidis, who lost their WorldTour licence at the end of 2025, are also looking to regain their place among cycling's elite. The French squad sit 19th, just 57 points behind NSN. Groupama-FDJ face a deficit of 526 points, while Picnic PostNL trail the top 18 by more than 6,800 points.

Beyond that enormous sporting gap, Picnic's situation appears particularly precarious. The Dutch team received a WorldTour licence only for 2026, with additional financial conditions attached to an extension for 2027 and 2028. 

With the annual team registration deadline on 15 October, attention will also turning to the financial and administrative requirements teams must meet to compete next season.

Should Picnic fail to secure a WorldTour licence for 2027, Pinarello-Q36.5 would be in pole position to take its place, subject to their own WorldTour licence application and UCI approval.

An intense battle is unfolding around 30th place in the UCI team rankings, with four teams separated by just 85 points and their ambitions for the 2027 Grand Tours hanging in the balance.

MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort currently occupy 28th place with 2,729 points, followed by Euskaltel-Euskadi on 2,693 and Team Picnic PostNL on 2,680. 

Bardiani CSF 7 Saber sit just outside the top 30 with 2,644 points, leaving the Italian squad with ground to make up in the final races of the season. Picnic PostNL currently hold WorldTour status, giving them automatic entry to the Grand Tours, which makes the battle for the remaining top 30 places particularly important for the ProTeams.

Under UCI regulations, all 18 WorldTeams receive automatic entry to the Grand Tours, while the three highest-ranked ProTeams from the previous season earn mandatory invitations. Pinarello, Tudor and Cofidis appear to have secured enough points to take those three places.

Grand Tour organisers can award two additional wildcards, but only to eligible ProTeams finishing inside the top 30 of the previous season's UCI team ranking. A place in the top 30 therefore guarantees eligibility, not an invitation.

That makes the closing races particularly important for Euskaltel-Euskadi and Bardiani, two teams with deep connections to Grand Tour racing. Euskaltel-Euskadi's history at the highest level stretches back to the 1990s, with its iconic orange jerseys and passionate Basque supporters becoming a familiar sight at the Tour de France. 

After the original professional team folded in 2013, the Euskaltel-Euskadi name returned to the professional peloton in 2020. The current squad last appeared in a Grand Tour at the 2024 Vuelta a España, missing out in both 2025 and 2026. Bardiani, meanwhile, have maintained a strong connection with the Giro d'Italia, competing in every edition over the past three seasons and making their 44th appearance in 2026.

For the Italian squad, dropping outside the top 30 could put that long-standing Giro tradition out of reach. For Euskaltel-Euskadi, securing a place would keep their hopes of returning to their home Grand Tour alive in 2027, especially following the high-profile signing of Mikel Landa.