Which teams are in the fight to avoid relegation?

After the conclusion of the Tour de France, it's time to take a look at the World Tour classification. Let's not forget that at the end of this season, the 18 teams that will have the right to a license in the top category of cycling for the next three years will be decided.

The World Tour classification is clarified after the Grande Boucle

The Tour de France, the race that awards the most points in the calendar, has confirmed some trends that we have been seeing throughout the season regarding the World Tour classification and has left us with teams fighting for survival.

It is not surprising at this point in the year the performance of XDS-Astana, which went from being practically doomed at the beginning of 2025 to having a cushion of almost 1,000 points above relegation thanks to the same tactic they have been applying throughout the season: scraping points from anywhere. If we review the classifications of the Tour de France, it is rare not to see one or two cyclists from this team in the Top10 of each stage.

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A different approach has been taken by Picnic-PostNL, a team that was getting into serious trouble with a very poor season. However, the Dutch have bet everything on the Tour de France and luck has been on their side. The splendid Tour de France performed by Oscar Onley allows them to breathe, and after the French race, they are practically tied with XDS-Astana in a comfortable position, although they cannot relax completely for the rest of the season.

Just below them, securing the last spot that would earn a World Tour place, Intermarché-Wanty is consolidating its position. They have benefited in this Tour de France from the points that cyclists like Biniam Girmay have been snatching with good placements. However, this harvest of points has not been as fruitful as that of the Kazakhs and does not allow them to celebrate just yet. In any case, there are rumors of a possible merger with Lotto hovering over them, which would solve the problem of the fight for survival in one fell swoop.

A merger that, if it happens, would bring joy to a Cofidis team in free fall and completely disappeared throughout the Tour de France. The French squad has entered a worrying dynamic and will have to risk everything in the Vuelta a España and in the Italian classics at the end of the season if they want to maintain their place on their own terms, or else rely on the possible merger of the Belgian teams to free up a license in the World Tour.

With a similar score to the French team but with a completely different dynamic is Uno-X Mobility. Few believed in them, but we have been announcing that they would be in the fight and we were not wrong. The Norwegian team has once again concluded a fantastic Tour de France in which the stage victory of Jonas Abrahamsen and the Top10 of Tobias Halland-Johannessen have shone, allowing them to challenge the positions of Cofidis and Intermarché-Wanty, also keeping an eye on the possible merger of the latter with Lotto.

The team that seems definitively relegated is Arkea-B&B Hotels, which, despite a very notable Tour de France, does not seem to be able to overcome the disadvantage they face. However, they still have La Vuelta, and if they perform similarly to the Tour de France, they could cling to the classification. Nevertheless, if they still have sporting chances, it doesn't seem to be the case economically, where they are facing serious problems and, along with the lack of a sponsor for next year, there are many voices pointing towards a possible disappearance of the team.