Who has what it takes to become world champion in the virtual cycling race on a home trainer? The UCI and MyWhoosh have published the format and dates for the qualifiers for the 2026 Cycling Esports World Championships. The system combines selection by the national federations with open races on the MyWhoosh platform. In principle, anyone can compete in the World Championships – provided they deliver the best performance in the qualifying races. MyWhoosh will act as the exclusive platform and organiser of the event from 2024 to 2026. Last year, Germany’s Jason Osborne became Esports World Champion for the third time in Abu Dhabi. New Zealander Mary Kate McCarthy secured the women’s World Championship title for the second time.
Esports World Championship Qualifiers
National federations, such as German Cycling, are allocated between three and ten starting places for the semi-finals. The UCI allocates these quotas based on the results of the semi-finals and finals of the two previous Esports World Championships. Federations without a performance-based quota may nominate up to two riders, provided they meet the performance verification requirements set by MyWhoosh. Each federation sets its own selection criteria for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships. Questions regarding eligibility or selection should be addressed to the relevant national federation. The reigning 2025 world champions qualify automatically for the event – so Jason Osborn is already confirmed as a starter.
Open Qualifying Races for the Esports World Championships
Around 30 further starting places for each gender will be allocated via the MyWhoosh Sunday Race Club Elite Series. The qualifying races will take place on the first two Sundays in September. The race is open to all riders who have not been nominated by their national federation. MyWhoosh sets the rules to ensure the integrity of the results. Anyone who qualifies via this route and meets the national federation’s criteria will be added to the federation’s squad in addition to the regular quota.
Schedule and Deadlines for the Esports World Championships
The federations will nominate their athletes for the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships between July and August. All nominated riders must have completed at least one official MyWhoosh Sunday Race Club Elite race. The federations must confirm their squads by 31 August. The final list of participants for the semi-finals will be published on 4 September. The virtual semi-finals will bring together around 260 athletes on 2 October.
Final to be held at two venues
The best riders from the semi-finals will progress to the final of the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships on 12 December. The event will take place live at two venues, one in North America and one in Europe. The UCI may award up to three wildcards per gender. MyWhoosh is organising all stages of the event, developing the routes, drawing up the technical guidelines and hosting the live finals.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
