The international cycling union UCI announced on Wednesday which teams have received a WorldTeam and ProTeam license for the next three seasons. What immediately stands out: the WorldTour license of PicnicPostNL only runs until the end of 2026. Financial problems are the reason behind this.
"The UCI Licensing Commission has decided to limit the duration of the license to one year and to impose conditions regarding the financial criteria that must be met to allow an extension for the 2027 and 2028 seasons," reads a UCI press release.
This condition applies to both the men’s and women’s teams of Picnic PostNL, both of which have been approved for a WorldTeam license through 2026. Picnic PostNL is the only one of the 18 teams to have received a warning. If the financial situation does not meet UCI regulations, the team led by manager Iwan Spekenbrink may lose their license for 2027 and 2028.
All teams that applied for a WorldTeam license were evaluated on five different criteria. Besides the financial aspect, the UCI Licensing Commission also considers the following: ethical, financial, administrative, organizational, and sporting criteria.
