Pogačar’s season is considered over: he could miss the World Championships, European Championships and Il Lombardia

Tadej Pogačar's 2026 season would have definitively ended with his severe fall in the Vuelta a España. Although UAE Team Emirates-XRG has not officially communicated it yet, sources from Italy claim that the Slovenian will not race again this year and that his return to competition will have to wait until 2027.

Pogačar would miss the World Championship, the European Championship, and Il Lombardia

The information comes from Ciro Scognamiglio, a journalist from La Gazzetta dello Sport, who on September 5 states that the information he has suggests that Pogačar will not participate in any of the major events still on his calendar. The original news can be found at La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

If confirmed, Pogačar will miss the World Championship in Montreal on September 27, where he was supposed to defend the rainbow jersey, in addition to the European Championship and Il Lombardia.

It was precisely the World Championship that had generated the most doubts since the true extent of his injuries became known. The proximity of the Canadian race made it very difficult to think of a complete and, above all, safe recovery.

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Now the scenario would have changed. It would no longer be just about giving up the World Championship, but about ending the entire season and focusing on recovery for 2027.

La Gazzetta had already hinted at this possibility days ago. When Pogačar was discharged from the hospital to return to his home in Monaco, Scognamiglio pointed out that the most likely scenario was not seeing him compete again until next year.

A fall that completely changed his season

Everything went wrong during the eighth stage of the Vuelta a España. Pogačar was wearing the red jersey and was leading the general classification when he suffered a violent fall about 33 kilometers from the finish.

The Slovenian initially tried to continue, but the consequences of the impact made it impossible for him to stay in the race. Subsequent medical tests confirmed a particularly delicate diagnosis: concussion, displaced fracture of the left clavicle, stable fracture of the cervical vertebra C7, and numerous abrasions.

After being initially treated, Pogačar was transferred to Barcelona and ultimately had to undergo surgery to address the clavicle fracture. The procedure was successfully performed at the Dexeus University Hospital, and he was later discharged to continue his recovery at home.

The clavicle fracture already posed a serious obstacle to attempting a return before the end of the year, but the combination with the concussion and, especially, the cervical fracture made any attempt to accelerate the timelines difficult to justify.

The rainbow will have to wait

The major pending objective was the road World Championship in Montreal. Pogačar was supposed to defend his world title there, but the event takes place just a few weeks after his accident and subsequent surgery.

Doubts about his participation began practically from the moment the diagnosis was known. The Slovenian's own sports and medical environment had cooled the chances of seeing him in Canada, and with the information now published by La Gazzetta dello Sport, a return in 2026 seems ruled out, pending official confirmation from UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

If the team ultimately confirms the decision, Pogačar will unexpectedly close a season that was extraordinary until the fall. He had winned, among other races, Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse, and his fifth Tour de France before leading a Vuelta that he was also dominating.