Teams face new challenges as UCI rules bring changes to wildcard invitations

The revised UCI regulations have become a source of worry for teams, who now face a different set of problems. While relegation was a concern in the past, teams must now also deal with the possibility of being excluded from major races like grand tours due to the new wildcard invitation rule.

Starting in 2024, Grand Tour organisers will only be able to select the teams to invite from the top 50 teams, which will be reduced to 40 teams in 2025 before settling on the top 30 teams in 2026.

According to UCI rules, Grand Tours must extend invitations to all WorldTour teams and the two top ProTeams of the previous year's World Ranking but are not required to invite teams that have been relegated. However, other WorldTour stage races must include these teams the following year.

Domestic teams like Burgos-BH, who have a low ranking and were previously able to secure wildcard invitations to the Vuelta a España, will be affected by the new regulation. Newly licensed ProTeams will be subject to a new rule that calculates their ranking based on the points earned by their best 20 riders, as opposed to the point calculations for existing teams that are based on the previous season's roster.