Del Toro signs UAE Team Emirates-XRG contract to 2031 after brief Seixas-related pause
Isaac del Toro has signed a contract extension with UAE Team Emirates XRG through the end of 2031, bringing an end to a brief period of uncertainty over his future.
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The 22-year-old Mexican will remain with the team he joined as a professional in 2024 and where he has developed into one of the leading general classification riders of his generation. His breakthrough continued at the 2026 Tour de France, where he won a stage and finished third overall on his debut.
UAE announced the new agreement on Wednesday morning through its social media channels.
The confirmation follows a report from Daniel Benson that Del Toro’s representatives had paused extension talks while UAE considered its approach to Paul Seixas.
The 19-year-old Frenchman, who finished fourth at the 2026 Tour, has been linked with a future move from Decathlon CMA CGM. Seixas remains under contract with the French team through the end of 2027.
His possible arrival would give UAE another major stage racing prospect alongside Del Toro and Tadej Pogačar, raising questions about how leadership opportunities might be divided in the years ahead.
According to Benson, that uncertainty was the main reason Del Toro’s new deal had not been completed sooner. The Mexican and his representatives had already been in talks with UAE before the reported pause.
His extension now removes any doubt over his own future. Whether Seixas eventually joins UAE remains a separate question, with the Frenchman still central to Decathlon CMA CGM’s long term plans.
Del Toro has enjoyed a remarkable 2026 season. He won the UAE Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes before taking a stage victory in the Barcelona Grand Départ at the Tour de France.
He went on to finish third overall behind Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, while also beating Seixas to the white jersey. Just 24 seconds separated the two young riders before the decisive Alpine stage.
On the Champs Élysées, Pogačar described Del Toro as his possible successor after securing his fifth Tour de France.
“Maybe he’s going to be better than me one day,” Pogačar said. “He has his own way, his own style, and I admire him as a rider and a person, and hope he keeps going that way.”
The length of the agreement underlines UAE’s confidence in Del Toro. He will be 28 when the contract expires, keeping him with the team through what should be the beginning of his prime years as a general classification rider.
It could also take him beyond the point at which Pogačar remains the team’s undisputed Grand Tour leader, giving UAE continuity whenever its leadership structure begins to change.
For now, Del Toro’s place in that future is secure. The question of whether Seixas will eventually join him remains unresolved.
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