OFFICIAL: Lotto and Intermarché - Wanty make bid to merge and form new World Tour team in 2026

This has been known for several months, but behind the scenes there were countless obstacles towards making it happen. Lotto and Intermarché - Wanty are merging this winter to form one single team which will belong in the World Tour under the current license of the Lotto team who is set for a promotion in any scenario.

This is a story that has developed throughout the 2025 season, with Intermarché mostly in difficulty to maintain its level and structure in the future but finding in the Lotto team a reliable partner, a team with similar goals and riders, as well as status within the sport. Work has been ongoing for several months to finally confirm the application, although it has been slowed down due to the financial issues that Intermarché had, facing millions in deficit.

Although this does not confirm that the merge is happening with full guarrantee, there likely isn't much that can prevent it at this point, and its now up to the UCI to review the aplication and the decision should be announced already as soon as this week. If so, the team can already begin its preparation for the 2026 season, with month and a half before the expected first training camp.

The news couldn't have come at a better time, as even riders with a safe footing in the project such as Toon Aerts were uncertain on whether it would go along or not. "The intention is for me to ride for the merged team. But it's not certain yet. That's a bit frustrating for me right now," Aerts told Sporza after his win at the Kermiscross Ardooie this Thursday, hours before the announcement. "I'm getting good signals from higher up. And I fully understand that things can't go any faster than they can. Everything is being done to bring the merger to a successful conclusion, but also to give riders like me certainty. I hope for good news in the coming days or weeks."

"Captains of Cyclling, the license holder of the Lotto Cycling Team, confirms that it has officially submitted its file to the UCI for the joint Lotto-Intermarché project, with the goal of rejoining the World Tour in 2026," a team statement read. "The license application had to be delivered to the UCI by October 15, and that deadline was met. As previously communicated, the application was submitted under the Captains of Cycling structure. Through the joint Lotto-Intermarché project, the team aims to make its return to the World Tour after three years".

As expected this would ultimately be a team that has the Lotto structure as its big base, but according to Het Laatste Nieuws the 31-rider team will constist of 17 riders that are currently signed with Lotto and 14 of Intermarché, making it a rather even split. This is very unlikely to include Biniam Girmay who's been heavily linked with Israel - Premier. The Eritrean's agent Alex Carera posted on social media over a month ago that a deal had been reached over a month ago and at this time being there were no guarrantees the merger would go through - the timeline does not fit with the Belgian team.