It almost seems like an open secret that Unibet Rose Rockets will receive a wildcard for the 2026 Tour de France, but the French team with Dutch roots will not be participating next year in another major French stage race: Paris-Nice. The Unibet team has not received a wildcard for the 'Race to the Sun'.
The eighteen WorldTeams (including Visma | Lease a Bike, Alpecin-Deceuninck, and Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe) and the three best ProTeams (cofidis, Pinarello-Q36.5, and Tudor Pro Cycling) were already guaranteed participation, but organizer ASO theoretically could still award four wildcards.
However, the French stage race will invite 'only' 22 teams again next year, leaving just one wildcard to distribute. The choice fell on the French TotalEnergies team, and not on Unibet Rose Rockets.
What does this say about the team’s Tour chances?
Whether the non-invitation to Paris-Nice says anything about Unibet Rose Rockets’ chances for the upcoming Tour de France remains to be seen. The cards for the French ProTeam seem almost perfectly laid out on the table. Insiders and the media therefore assume that the team of Bas Tietema, Josse Wester, and Devin van der Wiel will be there next summer.
However, there are also two worst-case scenarios that could prevent Unibet Rose Rockets from receiving a Tour wildcard. ASO is not obligated to hand out all five tickets. It could also decide to invite, apart from the mandatory wildcards for Cofidis, Tudor Pro Cycling Pro Cycling, and Pinarello-Q36.5, only TotalEnergies. The team led by Jean-René Bernardeau has been relying on a Tour wildcard from the race organizers for years.
Besides that last team and Unibet Rose Rockets, there are five other ProTeams that have qualified to be considered for a wildcard. These are the Italian teams VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè and Polartec-Kometa. It is likely they will receive wildcards for the Giro d’Italia. Additionally, the three Spanish ProTeams Burgos-Burpellet-BH, Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, and Equipe Kern Pharma have also qualified. This is where the crux lies.
Participating teams at Paris-Nice 2026 (March 8-15)
WorldTeams
Alpecin-Premier Tech
Bahrain Victorious
Decathlon CMA CGM
EF Education-EasyPost
Groupama-FDJ United
INEOS Grenadiers
Lidl-Trek
Lotto Intermarché
Movistar
NSN Cycling Team
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Soudal Quick-Step
Picnic PostNL*
Team Jayco AlUla
Team DSM
UAE Emirates XRG
Uno-X Mobility
XDS Astana Team
ProTeams
Cofidis
Pinarello-Q36.5
Tudor Pro Cycling
TotalEnergies
