A new Belgian super team could join the World Tour if the merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty is successful

Unexpected news has appeared in reputable Belgian media such as Het Laaste Niews, almost confirming the merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty by 2026, which would increase the potential of both teams and leave Belgium with three top-level teams alongside Soudal-QuickStep and Alpecin-Deceuninck.

Merger between Lotto and Intermarché-Wanty could be imminent, Belgian media report

This unexpected news has suddenly reached the cycling world, but according to Belgian media, the merger is so advanced that it could even be announced next Monday during the second rest day of the 2025 Tour de France.

Both teams are not currently in their best moments. Lotto, despite almost securing its return to the World Tour, is facing financial difficulties after losing its second sponsor at the end of last year. On the other hand, Intermarché-Wanty has been struggling to achieve results, putting them at risk of losing their World Tour license at the end of this season.

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However, a merger of both teams could create a mid-level team within the World Tour, allowing them to build a tailored roster as both teams have a good number of riders to choose from. In fact, so many that it would require letting go of a significant number of them.

We are talking about names like Girmay, Rex, or Zimmerman from Intermarché, or Van Eetvelt or Lie if we refer to Lotto, the longest-standing sponsor in the peloton. The merger of both structures would result in a tremendously competitive team in a wide variety of races, especially in the art of hunting victories here and there, something that, in today's cycling, is the guerrilla warfare that mid-level World Tour teams must engage in.

Speaking of the World Tour, if this merger is eventually carried out, it would provide relief to their Dutch neighbors at Picnic-PostNL or the French team Cofidis, as it would leave a vacant World Tour spot that would facilitate the continuation of these teams in the top category. On the other hand, it would also give Uno-X Mobility, a team in constant growth and once again performing brilliantly in the Tour de France, the opportunity to dream of occupying one of these spots.