Cyclocross calendar 2026–27: World Cup, Superprestige, X²O and major races

The 2026–27 cyclocross season brings elite women’s and men’s racing through Belgium, the Netherlands, Britain and other European venues from October into February. The major fixtures are the 12-round UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, eight Superprestige races, eight X²O Trophy rounds, the European and national championships and the World Championships at Ostend on 29–31 January 2027.

For British spectators, the standout addition is Glasgow on Sunday 13 December, the first British UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup round since Milton Keynes in 2014. The December programme is especially busy: Antwerp, Koksijde, Gavere, Namur and Besançon all follow in less than three weeks, alongside the Christmas and New Year Superprestige and X²O Trophy events.

The calendar is not one single championship. The World Cup, Superprestige and X²O Trophy all have their own classifications and scoring systems, and each has its own broadcast arrangements. Most of the headline dates feature separate elite men’s and women’s races, although the full category programme varies by venue. Start times, entries and live television schedules should be checked again close to the event.

This guide brings together the principal verified race dates for the 2026–27 season, with an emphasis on the meetings most likely to matter to followers of the men’s and women’s elite circuit. It will remain useful after individual races finish because the series calendars and links to more detailed coverage are gathered in one place.

Key cyclocross dates in October and early November

Racing is already under way. Dendermonde opened the HG Cross programme on 11 October and Ardooie’s Kermiscross followed on 15 October. Meulebeke races on Saturday 17 October, with its elite women’s contest ahead of the men’s. These early events do not decide a World Cup title but provide the first useful form comparisons before the major series begin.

The Nacht van Woerden on Tuesday 20 October is a distinctive floodlit town-centre race. The women’s start is scheduled for 19:40 Dutch local time and the men follow at 20:40, equivalent to 18:40 and 19:40 BST in the UK. Heerde hosts another HG Cross meeting on 24 October, while the Superprestige begins one day later at Overijse.

The opening Superprestige race is particularly significant because Overijse has some of the discipline’s longest-standing traditions. Its steep, technical Druivencross course has produced important wins for riders including Mathieu van der Poel, Thibau Nys, Lucinda Brand and Sara Casasola. Our Overijse history and previous winners guide examines that record in detail.

November brings three Superprestige meetings, the European Championships, the opening three X²O Trophy rounds and the first two World Cups in Czechia. The European Championships are scheduled for Zeddam, Netherlands, on 7–8 November. The World Cup does not open until 27 November, which explains why early form from the domestic series can change considerably before the international classification begins.

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup calendar 2026–27

The 2026–27 UCI World Cup comprises 12 meetings, opening on Friday 27 November in Ostrava and closing on Sunday 24 January in Hoogerheide. The series makes two visits to Czechia before Glasgow, then moves through the traditional Belgian Christmas period, France, Spain and the final weekend in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Park round gives British supporters a rare opportunity to see the full international cyclocross circuit at home. Britain has its own strong cyclocross scene, but hosting a World Cup is different from staging a National Trophy round. The best riders in the UCI series travel with large equipment teams, and the scale of media and spectator attention is much greater.

The Christmas run is physically and logistically demanding. Antwerp on 19 December and Koksijde a day later lead into the Boxing Day race at Gavere, Namur on the following day and Besançon on 29 December. Teams must adapt to sand, mud, climbing and changing course conditions within a very short period. A rider can recover from one poor round, but a series of mechanical problems over Christmas can have a substantial effect on the overall classification.

The World Cup concludes with Benidorm on 17 January before Hamme and Hoogerheide on consecutive days. The final World Cup meeting falls one week before the World Championships, making preparation and recovery decisions particularly important for riders targeting the rainbow jersey. World Cup points and the world title are separate prizes.

Superprestige 2026–27: all eight rounds

The Superprestige is one of the sport’s oldest season-long competitions, and its 2026–27 calendar contains several notable date changes. Overijse opens the series in October, Middelkerke moves to November, Ruddervoorde shifts into December and the season concludes at Gullegem on 2 January.

The change in date for Middelkerke reflects the move of the 2027 World Championships to the Belgian coast at Ostend. Middelkerke’s 5 November event is planned as an evening race with a Halloween theme, rather than retaining its former February position. Ruddervoorde takes 6 December, with the unusual Christmas Day meeting at Heusden-Zolder later in the month.

Unlike the World Cup, the Superprestige is concentrated entirely in Belgium. Its courses range from fast urban evening circuits to more traditional technical cross venues, and the conditions can change dramatically between rounds. The standings reward riders who return throughout the winter rather than making occasional appearances only when an individual course suits them.

Niels Vandeputte and Aniek van Alphen were the 2025–26 overall Superprestige winners. Those titles give both riders a benchmark for the new season, but the different calendar order means early points will be collected at different races compared with previous years.

X²O Trophy 2026–27 dates

The X²O Trophy has a different classification format from the other major series. Its overall standings are based on accumulated time rather than only points, making small race-to-race gaps important. A rider can lose significant ground after a poor day even without dropping far down the finishing order.

The series begins on 1 November at the Koppenberg, one of the sport’s best-known climbing races. Hamme-Zogge and Beringen follow later that month. The sequence resumes in late December at Hofstade and Loenhout, with Baal on New Year’s Day, before Lille and Brussels round out the competition in February.

The calendar contains two different Hamme meetings: the X²O Trophy’s Hamme-Zogge race on 15 November and the World Cup’s Hamme round on 23 January. They should not be treated as duplicate entries, because they belong to different competitions and occur more than two months apart.

World Championships, European Championships and national titles

The 2027 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships take place in Ostend, Belgium, from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 January. The elite rainbow-jersey races are the main targets for many riders, alongside the junior and under-23 competitions included in the championship programme. Unlike the World Cup, this is a single championship event rather than a cumulative ranking.

The European Championships at Zeddam on 7–8 November provide an earlier opportunity to win an international title. The national championships arrive in January, generally around 9–10 January, including Britain’s event at Clanfield. National champions then wear their distinctive jerseys in eligible races for the remainder of their championship year.

Some of the sport’s most familiar names compete across several different calendars. Riders such as Lucinda Brand, Fem van Empel, Mathieu van der Poel, Thibau Nys and Wout van Aert may target a mixture of World Cup events, domestic series and championships, but not every rider contests every event. The confirmed start list for a particular weekend is a more reliable guide than any assumptions based on previous winter programmes.

The calendar also includes UCI C1 and C2 events outside the biggest international series. They can be important for ranking points, especially at the beginning of the winter or when leading riders return from a break. The Nacht van Woerden on 20 October and the early HG Cross events are examples of standalone meetings that contribute to the wider season’s story.

British National Trophy dates and the Glasgow World Cup

Britain’s 2026–27 National Trophy begins with two days at Derby on 17–18 October. The opening weekend is also designated as a UCI C2 event. Pontypool follows on 7–8 November, Cyclopark on 28–29 November and Shrewsbury on 19–20 December. The season concludes with the final two rounds held over 23–24 January at Peel Park in Bradford.

The series provides a route for Britain’s leading domestic riders, junior competitors and emerging talent to race across different types of circuits. The National Championships take place at Clanfield on 9–10 January, separate from the National Trophy standings. For spectators interested in British riders, these races give a better measure of the national scene than focusing solely on the Belgian calendar.

Glasgow on 13 December sits between the two later National Trophy weekends, giving Britain both domestic and World Cup-level racing in a busy month. The opportunity for home support could be particularly important for riders accustomed to racing in Belgium or the Netherlands for most of the winter.

How to watch the 2026–27 cyclocross season in the UK

Broadcast arrangements are not uniform. The UCI World Cup, Superprestige, X²O Trophy and standalone meetings negotiate rights separately, so one television subscription may not show every race. TNT Sports and HBO Max carry a selection of major cyclocross coverage for UK subscribers, while some organisers offer streams in particular territories. Published television schedules also include replays that must not be confused with live races.

The safest approach is to check the race-specific listing as the weekend approaches. Start times can differ for elite women and men, especially where the programme includes juniors and under-23 competitions. Belgian venues use local Central European time, which is usually one hour ahead of the UK; both regions switch to winter time at the end of October.

For first-time viewers, the beginner’s guide to cyclocross racing, bikes and rules explains the race format, pits and bike exchanges. The Meulebeke women’s preview and men’s preview give an early-season form guide, while the Dendermonde women’s and men’s race reports show how quickly the form picture can change.

The dates above are the organisers’ published 2026–27 schedules. They provide the backbone of the season, but weather, venue arrangements and television contracts can change before individual rounds. For travel and live viewing, the final organiser programme is the reference point; for the bigger picture, the three season-long series and the Ostend World Championships are the races around which the winter will develop.