The average men’s WorldTour budget for the 2026 season has risen to €33 million, a rise of 4.5% on 2025, with the median salary for a self-employed rider up to €350,000, rising 5.6%, according to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The costs and salaries of the highest level of professional cycling have been rising year on year, with men’s team budgets now totaling €663 million.
According to the La Gazzetta dello Sport numbers, the average team budget has risen from €31.1 million in 2025 to €33.1 million for 2026. In 2023, it was just €26.2 million. La Gazzetta dello Sport indicated that the total budget for the Women’s WorldTour was up to €80 million for just 14 teams. In 2023 the amount was just €42 million.
The likes of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Visma-Lease a Bike, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Lidl-Trek, Decathlon-CMA CGM and Ineos Grenadiers have budgets above or close to €50 million. Smaller teams or recently promoted teams like Lotto-Intermarché have to operate on perhaps half of that figure.
The super team budgets skew the average amount, with the UCI revealing the median budget is €28 million.
Fortunately, naming rights and visibility at the Tour de France means professional cycling is usually a good investment for major brands. EF…
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