Nairo Quintana‘s new team Arkea-Samsic have missed out on a WorldTour licence for 2020 as Cofidis return to cycling’s top flight for the first time since 2009.
The UCI published the list of teams that have met the requirements to be part of the WorldTour and have therefore been offered a licence for the 2020 season.
It was believed that the UCI would be upping the number of teams in the WorldTour for 2020 from 18 to 20 with Arkea-Samsic, Direct Energie, Israel Cycling Academy and Cofidis all competing for those two new spots.
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As it stands, only Cofidis and Israel Cycling Academy will be moving from ProContinental level to WorldTour for next season.
French team Cofidis have been awarded the licence providing they meet the ‘administrative, ethical, financial, organisational and sporting’ guidelines set by the UCI while Israel Cycling Academy are set to buy the WorldTour licence of Katusha-Alpecin.
The UCI also announced that Total-Direct Energie will be invited to all WorldTour events while Wanty Gobert-Tormans will be invited to all UCI Classic Series events.
This puts Quintana's participation at a Grand Tour next season in the balance with the Colombian now having to rely on his new team being invited as a wild card team rather than having an automatic place.
The Breton team did have aspirations of making the jump to WorldTour in 2020, hence financially flexing their muscles with signings like Quintana and Nacer Bouhanni, but it seems they did not meet the requirements set by the UCI.
Dimension Data - set to be called Team NTT for 2020 - also held onto their WorldTour licence despite rumours they would miss out after a disappointing season.
UCI men's WorldTour teams for 2020
AG2R La Mondiale
Astana
Bahrain-Merida
Bora-Hansgrohe
CCC Team
Cofidis
Deceuninck-QuickStep
Education First
Groupama-FDJ
Lotto Soudal
Mitchelton-Scott
Movistar
Dimension Data (Team NTT)
Team Ineos
Jumbo-Visma
Katusha-Alpecin (to be Israel Cycling Academy)
Team Sunweb
Trek-Segafredo
Uae Team Emirates
