TotalEnergies and Caja Rural Invited to 2026 Tour de France; Unibet Rose Rockets Excluded

The Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) has announced the teams invited to the 2026 Tour de France, which will commence on July 4 in Barcelona. Of the 23 teams participating, 21 qualified automatically under Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) rules, including all 18 WorldTour teams and the three highest-ranked ProTeams: Tudor, Q36.5, and Cofidis. The ASO granted two wildcard invitations, which went to the French-licensed TotalEnergies team and the Spanish team Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.

Caja Rural's invitation was notable since they ranked 25th initially but moved up to 23rd following the merger of Lotto and Intermarché. Their strong performance at the previous Vuelta, finishing fourth in the team classification and with leader Abel Balderstone placing 13th overall, also factored into their selection. TotalEnergies, as the fourth-best ProTeam, was a natural choice for a wildcard spot.

Conversely, the French-licensed Unibet Rose Rockets team, founded in 2023 by former Dutch cyclist Bas Tietema, was not invited. Tour director Christian Prudhomme explained that the decision was based purely on sporting criteria. Despite Unibet's recruitment of notable cyclists like Wout Poels, Dylan Groenewegen, and Victor Lafay, the team does not emphasize its French identity, featuring predominantly Dutch riders and obtaining its French license following Dutch legal restrictions on betting sponsorships. ASO also excluded Unibet from the Vuelta, favoring local Spanish teams instead.

Prudhomme acknowledged the team's ambitions and hinted Unibet Rose Rockets may be considered for future editions of the Tour or the Giro d'Italia, which is expected to favor sprinters.

This selection reflects ASO's approach to balancing sporting merit with national representation, giving opportunities to teams with strong recent results and local ties, while maintaining stringent criteria for invitations.